What you don't know CAN hurt you
by Cu-Curee
Summary: Some secrets that are told should never be, and some that aren't spoken should. Eventual Dinobot/Rattrap eventual some Megatron/Inferno
1. Truths, Secrets and Lies

**AN: sorry about having to re post this but I goofed on something major and had to fix it so I desided to re post it rather then try to fix it here.**

**Oh ya. Contains drinking and sexual themes**

**I now give you...**

**Truths, Secrets, and Lies  
**

All the others could see it; even Cheetor had figured it out. The only ones who didn't see it were the ones who it involved.

It started when they were celebrating Airazor's safe recovery from her pod. Rattrap had gone and whipped up some high-octane energon and had said there was plenty to go around. Dinobot had taken one sip and had shaken his head. What Rattrap called "high-octane" was what most Predacons called "light beer". He left and returned with several flasks.

"Whatcha drinking, Dinobot?" Cheetor asked.

"A Predacon high-octane formula. Much more palatable for me," Dinobot answered, taking a swig.

"Mind if I give it a try?" the kid cat asked.

"Sorry Cheetor," Primal said, "but you're a bit too young to drink."

"Aww, come on Big Bot," Cheetor said. Dinobot turned to face Optimus.

"You're too young," Primal told him again, and Cheetor sighed. Dinobot snorted derisively, then took a long pull from his flask.

"Something wrong, Dinobot?" Optimus asked, turning to the large Predacon.

Dinobot looked Primal over for a few moments then said, "You expect Cheetor to obey your orders - expect him to put his life on the line for the primitive creatures of this planet, as well as your comrades in the pods. You expect him to take on the responsibilities of an adult, and yet when he wishes to indulge in some of the privileges entitled thereto, you tell him 'no'. It's no wonder he disobeys your orders." Dinobot paused and tilted back his drink. "Although why at sixteen you call him a child is _still_ beyond me."

Rhinox sat looking thoughtful for a few moments, sipping his drink. "You know Optimus, strange as it may sound, he does have a point. We do ask a lot of the lad. Perhaps we should let up a bit."

"I promised his parents I'd watch out for him," Optimus said in return.

"Eh, Big Banana, lighten up. Da kid should be able ta' have some fun 'round heres. Ya' made dat promise when we was just gonna be toolin' 'round da galaxy. T'ings are different now," Rattrap said, then promptly chugged the rest of his energon. "Al'dough I can't believe I'm agreein' wit' da Pred."

Primal sighed and realized he was going to be out-voted on this. "Alright Cheetor, but just realize that there are consequences for everything," Primal told him. "Go easy on it. Okay?"

Cheetor's optics brightened. "Sure thing, Big Bot. So can I try some of that drink now?"

Dinobot shrugged and filled a shot glass about one quarter of the way up with a red fluid from the flask. "Here." He passed the glass to Cheetor.

Cheetor took the glass and shot it back. He nearly gagged it back up. "Yug! How can you drink that stuff?" he asked, wiping his mouth.

"I ask the same about Maximal formulas," Dinobot said, tilting back his flask.

"Hey kid," Rattrap called. "Come over here, I'm gonna teach ya a game called cred-bounce."

Over the next few hours the drinking got heaver and Rattrap and Cheetor both got really drunk. "So, Rat face, why do you hate Preds so much?" Cheetor asked as he sunk a cred-chip into the cup.

Rattrap downed his shot. "I didn't always hate Preds, kiddo. In fact, some a' dem were my best friends. Ya' see, my dad worked in construction. He got laid offa' his job, so we had ta' move. He was able ta get anodder job in da mixed district."

"'Mixed District'? What's that?" Airazor asked.

"There are three main districts in the Cybertron cities," Dinobot answered. "One comprised entirely of Maximals, one of Predacons, and one that normally sits between them: the Mixed district."

"Yeah, so we moved inta one. I was just enterin' my first year of Primary School. I got inta a fight. I didn't win but nether did da Pred. After dat his pals asked me ta hang out wit' dem. Dere were eight of us, t'ree Maximals an' five Preds. We stayed t'gether fer like six years. Den we got ta Secondary School. 'Cause where I was livin' was like on da border of another school district, I went ta a different school den my gang." Rattrap stopped there and took another drink, shaking his head.

"So what happened, Big R?" Cheetor asked, wide-eyed. He couldn't imagine Rattrap being friends with Preds, or that just being sent to another school would make him hate them either.

Rattrap just sighed and drank. After half an hour of Cheetor bugging him Rattrap slammed down his glass. "Ya really wanna know, kid?" he snapped angrily. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn ya!" He then stormed over to where Dinobot was sitting and snagged one of the flasks. He opened it and downed half of it in one gulp. "Acid Rain huh?" he asked. Dinobot nodded. "Good shit." He then turned to Cheetor.

"After 'bout a month at my school I hadn't made any really good friends like before. I had no one to watch my tail pipe. I got jumped by a gang a' older Preds, aged around fourteen. Dey started hittin' me, den one a' dem said he had an idea..." Rattrap trailed off.

Dinobot growled low in his throat. He knew what must have happened and he didn't like it. A part of him was grateful that Rattrap had stopped when he did. Not only did the kid absolutely _not_ need to hear this about his kind, but it would most likely lead to questions he really didn't want to be asked, nor answer.

Unfortunately Cheetor asked softly, "What was their idea?"

Rattrap downed the rest of the flask. Dinobot fervently hoped that Rattrap wouldn't answer, but Acid Rain had a way of loosening one's vocal processor. "Dey blinded me wit' somethin', don' know what, den day ripped off my armor." Rattrap's voice started to rise in volume. "Dey trussed me up worse den a berserkin' Pred. Hurt like a bitch too!" Rattrap was screaming now. "Den dey raped me! All of em! Dere, ya happy kid?" Rattrap took a deep breath. "We moved dat week. I've hated Preds ever since."

Rhinox heard another growl from Dinobot.

"Gee, sorry RT." Cheetor looked very sorry that he'd asked.

Rattrap glared at the kid cat for a few moments before snatching one of Dinobot's flasks and storming out of the room without a word. Rhinox shook his head. Primal looked over at him. "Did you know about this?"

Rhinox looked back. "Yeah." He sipped his energon.

Cheetor stared at the door Rattrap had left through. "Ya know, I kinda figure that those kids wouldn't be - ya know - old enough to interface."

"Well, technically speaking most Cybertronians can't. My guess is that they came into their growth early," Primal told him.

Dinobot peered over at Optimus. "Just what exactly are you smoking Primal?"

Optimus did a double take at Dinobot. "What do you mean?"

"Do you _actually_ hear the words coming out of your vocal processor? Are you _really THAT_ deluded?!" Dinobot asked them rage in his optics. He _had_ to explain now. They needed to know, although he was pretty sure they wouldn't believe him. It was also a testament to just how drunk he was; sober, he would _never_ have said anything on this topic. "Predacons are mental adults by the age of fourteen. Around that time our reproductive programs kick in all at once. The urge to mate is nearly overwhelming. Unfortunately Maximals seem to ignore this. Years ago they made it illegal to interface before the age of eighteen. And before you ask, no, manual release does _NOT_ help in the least."

Rhinox thought for a moment then said, "There are holo-programs they could use."

Dinobot laughed. "Right, tell your first lover you're so pathetic that you can't land a real female. You'd never live it down."

"Oh yeah?" a drunken Cheetor piped up. "I figured you would've needed to take that road."

"HA!" Dinobot laughed. "_My_ first was a twenty-eight stellar-cycle old Predacon commander I was able to impress shortly after I joined up, thank you very much."

"And how did she not get thrown out? And for that matter, what were you doing in the Predacon Army at such a young age?" Primal looked slightly alarmed.

The very high-octane energon he had been imbibing made Dinobot laugh. "Did you not hear me, Optimus?" He sighed and shook his head. "Predacon youths are adults at the age of fourteen. We can enter the Predacon Armed Forces at that point. While there, we continue our schooling. As for why she wasn't kicked out..." Dinobot let out a humor-filled snort and took a swig. "There was no reason for her to be."

"According to the Pax Cybertronia, any interfacing under the age of eighteen is illegal. Anyone caught doing so is subject to severe punishment," Optimus quoted to him.

"Read your own fine print, Optimus. The Predacon Armed Forces are governed by the Tripredacus Council alone, allowing us to at least give our youth a way to deal with their needs as well as learn."

Several hours, and more then a few drinks, later Rattrap was heading for his own bed. He turned a corner to see Dinobot leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Whaddya' want Chopperface?" he asked wearily, the start of a spectacular hangover creeping over his CPU.

"I wish to apologize on behalf of my kind. What happened to you should never have happened. The Maximals should listen and accept the fact that we are fundamentally different, but it's still no excuse," Dinobot said. Rhinox, who was on his way to his room from getting a very drunk Cheetor into bed, overheard Dinobot's apology as well as the touch of gentleness that seemed to be inadvertent. A smile crossed his face.

"Yeah whatever Lizard Lips." Rattrap really wanted to get to his bed.

"One more thing," Dinobot said as Rattrap moved away. "That gang of yours... even today, all you'd need to is to make a comm. call. Once you're in, you're in for life. They'd still have you back, even after all these years."


	2. Eyes wide shut, eyes wide open

**AN: Okay this is chapter 2 Ummm not much to say... I don't own the Beast Warriors... oh please review!**

**Thus I give you...**

**Eyes wide shut, eyes wide open**

After that night the interaction between Dinobot and Rattrap remained very much the same as it had always had. Fights, insults, and threats were the norm. However, Airazor noticed the faint smiles on each others face when the other's back was turned. "Hey Rhinox?" she asked one day after a rather large fight between the two. "Have you noticed anything different between those two?"

Rhinox smiled. "You mean those grins on their faces, or the fact that even though their fights are just as aggressive as they've ever been, there's almost a friendly undertone to them?"

"So you noticed it too," Airazor said, sitting on a table.

Rhinox nodded. "But," he continued, tinkering with the computer Dinobot and Rattrap's latest argument had damaged (he had been rather surprised that it wasn't _totally_ trashed), "if I were you, I wouldn't say anything. If they realize that they're becoming friends they'll fight it. Let's let it creep up on them, shall we."

Airazor chuckled. "Sure, I get it."

That was how it all started. Primal noticed a few months later...

"Hey Chopperface, whatcha make a' dis?" Rattrap asked from his place at the monitor. Primal had began to notice that the name calling had become almost friendly in nature. He looked over at him (the fact that Rattrap was actually paying attention to the monitors was amazing), and saw that in order for Dinobot to lean down enough to see whatever it was that Rattrap was looking at, the larger Pred had to put his hand on the rat's shoulder. The strange thing was that Rattrap wasn't saying a word about it.

"Hummm," Dinobot growled softly. "It looks like the Predacons are having more of their infighting." He stood up.

"Eh, wonder what started it dis time?" Rattrap wondered aloud.

"Megatron's incompetence most likely," Dinobot snapped out. "Most Predacon commanders don't allow dissentionin the ranks. If there is a challenge for leadership then it is a fight to the death. A competent leader will survive and the loser is recycled. But Megatrondoesn't see it that way. He believes that treachery keeps the wits sharp, so he lets traitors live. All it really does is make him look like an idiot."

"So, any way we can take advantage a' dis?" Rattrap asked.

Dinobot shook his head. "By the time we got there it would be over. But of Megatron is having that much trouble with his troops..." Dinobot trailed off. "They don't respect _him_."

"Den who'd dey respect?" Rattrap asked looking up at Dinobot.

Dinobot grinned a cold grin. "Me. _I_kept the others in line. They feared me, so they respected me." He shook his head. "Never mind. Maximals cannot, and have never understood Predacons." Dinobotthen walked out. Rattrap opened his mouth to say something but closed it again with a shake of his head.

Primal chuckled to himself and thought, 'Those two are getting along, finally.'

Tigertron noticed it one day when the two had come up to his wintry home. They had done nothing but argue all the way there. When they arrived with the parts to repair the comm. station, their argument had dissolved to the point of name calling and low blows. Even as they worked the insults flew. But Tigertron watched the smile that crossed both of their faces. 'They seem to work well together now,' he thought.

"Yo' Chopperface, hand me dat wrench," Rattrap said, sticking out a tiny rat hand.

"What size, dung breath?" Dinobot asked.

"Gimme a sec," Rattrap said. "Try de 7/8... What are we on?"

"E," Dinobot said, handing over the wrench Rattrap had asked for.

"T'anks, ya egg suckin' saurian," Rattrap said taking the tool. Tigertron noticed the slight brushing of Dinobot's scaly hand against Rattrap's fleshy one and smiled. He wondered if the other Maximals were noticing the same change in the duo that he did. The pair were working well together though despite all the arguments. Tigertron smiled a tiger's smile. That smile however turned to a frown after a while as he saw Dinobot shivering badly. "You okay Chopperface?" Rattrap asked.

"What do you think, Vermin?" Dinobot's entire body was shaking.

"Okay, come on, both of you," Tigertron said. "We can finish this tomorrow. It's getting dark and it'll get even colder."

"Colder?!" Dinobot snarled in surprise. "How could it _possibly_ get any colder?"

Tigertron chuckled. "Easily. Come - my cave isn't far from here."

"Alright den. Lead da way," Rattrap said.

Tigertron lead them to a large cave. "Okay, I'm going to hunt down dinner. We could all use some food. It'll warm us up."

The two nodded and hunkered down as Tigertron left. "So Chopperface," Rattrap asked as Dinobot walked around the cave to keep warm, "I gotta question for ya."

"What?" Dinobot asked, his teeth chattering.

"What makes ya t'ink my old crew would still wanna hang wit' me?" Rattrap asked.

"Humph," Dinobot snorted. "Vermin, in six years did you truly not learn a slagging thing from your gang?"

"Waddya mean, Bronto Brain?" Rattrap asked.

Dinobot let out a nearly inaudible sigh then a loud growl. "You Maximals! You don't understand a Primus damned mother slaggin' THING!!" Dinobot yelled. He couldn't feel the cold now; all he could feel was the heat of his rage. "You and your kind, you can't understand anything that doesn't fit your ideal lifestyle. If something is different you go out of your way to change it to what you feel is 'The Right Way'. 'The Right Way'. Bah!" Dinobot punched the wall, his tail thrashing angrily. "You Maximals think you're so high and mighty..." Dinobot sputtered to silence. He was now too angry to even speak.

"Ya done, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "Good. Ya know at first, Tri-Claw said da same ting 'bout me. Dat's what started de fight in da first place. Dey taught me everythin' I evah wanted ta know 'bout fightin' dirty. And Dark Orchid, she was de hottest t'ing I evah saw. I mean damn, when I got oldah... Whoa!" Rattrap said. "But dat was den."

Dinobotstopped his pacing to look at the rat. "And you really think they would just give up on you?" he said bewilderedly. "After all you had been through?"

"Where were dey den, huh? When does Preds jumped me?" Rattrap asked.

Dinobot let out a short laugh. "If you had called your gang the Preds at least would've been right there, and they would've beaten those rapists into the ground at the very least, if not killed them out right," Dinobotsaid. As he talked his body gave a great shiver of cold. "And at best guess, the other Maximals in the gang would have been in on it too."

"Doubtful," Rattrap sneered.

Dinobot sighed and curled up in a shivering ball. "You really don't get it, do you Vermin?"

"Hey, you okay Chopperface?" Rattrap asked.

"I'm fine Vermin," Dinobot answered.

Just as Rattrap was about to respond, Tigertron came in dragging a large mountain goat carcass. "Here we go," he said, coming to a halt in the middle of the cave.

Dinobot's head rose up and he uncoiled himself. He trotted over to the carcass and began to eat. "Thank you," he said quietly after he swallowed. He then quickly went back to eating. Tigertron nodded lightly and he too started to eat.

"Are you going to join us, Vermin?" Dinobot asked. Rattrap looked uncertain. A thought crossed Dinobot's mind. "You've never eaten meat before, have you?"

"No, why would I've?" Rattrap responded. "Der's plenty a' garbage at de base."

"Your form is omnivorous, Rattrap," Tigertron said. "I'm surprised you haven't ever felt the need or urge to eat meat."

It was Dinobot who spoke next. "Tigertron, you are an exception to a rule Primal has. No killing of animals if it can be avoided. You are mostly tiger in mind, so he forgives what _he_sees as needless killing." Dinobot smirked. "Although I haven't been following that rule."

"Well," Tigertron said, "I'm sorry Rattrap, but I have nothing else to offer you."

"It's okay. I'll give it a try," Rattrap said. He walked over to the body and nibbled on some innards. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Dis ain't bad at all." Suddenly ravenous, he began to eat with gusto.

Soon they were all stuffed. Tigerton yawned and said, "Well we should turn in for now." He padded over to a section of the cave covered in furs. "Find yourselves a place and crash," he told them, curling up and promptly falling asleep.

Dinobot found a spot on one of the furs, as did Rattrap. The next morning the trio woke up and fed on the carcass some more. Then Tigertron said, "Alright let's get to work." And they left to finish work on the tower.

Not too long after that, Cheetor noticed the change in the two. The three of them, Dinobot, Cheetor and Rattrap, were on a patrol when Dinobot said, "We should rest here."

"Sure," Cheetor said, flopping down on the grass.

"I'm going to get us something to eat," Dinobot said, trotting off.

"So, Rattrap," Cheetor said.

"Yeah, whaddya want, kid?" Rattrap asked stretching out.

"What do you think you're gonna do after the war's over?" the cheetah asked.

Rattrap thought for a bit then said, "Eh, probably reopen my bar. You?"

"Home, I guess," Cheetor answered, looking up at the blue sky.

"Whatcha _wanna_ do when ya get back?" Rattrap asked with a grin.

Cheetor thought about not telling him but then he remembered that he'd sorta made Rattrap spill a secret by bugging the hell out of him. "Go back to the Unicron Gouges. I was the top racer there. Got a trophy in my quarters and everything."

Rattrap thought for some time before asking, "Den whatcha doin' here, kiddo?"

Cheetor opened his mouth to answer when Dinobot came back, dragging a gazelle towards them. "What the spotted heck!?" Cheetor yelled.

"I told you I was getting us something to eat," Dinobot growled matter-of-factly.

"I figured you were getting fruit or something," Cheetor exclaimed.

"Hey kid, take it easy," Rattrap said. "It ain't so bad. Just give it a try. We won't tell Pop-Op, 'k? Right Chopperface?"

"Agreed, Vermin. Optimus does not need to know," Dinobot said.

Cheetor was so disarmed by the two agreeing that he dropped his argument. He padded over to the body and looked at it. "Well it _has_ been hard to keep the vegetation down lately..." He sniffed at the carcass; it smelled wonderful to his beast mode. He leaned down and took a bite. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted! His nostrils flared, his eyes widened and his whiskers fanned out. He began to devour his portion. As he did so, he watched the pair eating opposite him. They were right next to each other munching away, nether one even snapping at the other when they touched. He hid his smile in his portion, thinking, 'Things are going to be different around here.'


	3. Rollercoaster of emotions

**A/N Okay people sorry for the delay... this one contains some pretty heavy stuff so that is your warning... thus I give you**

**Roller-coaster Of Emotions**

As time went on, Dinobot and Rattrap were often seen together. Auguring, to be sure, but working well together. They often laughed together now as well. However, neither saw that the friendship was there. If it was ever brought up they would say that the 'bot was seeing or hearing things. Their fights were still physical at times, and death threats were still made; however, if an enemy were to shoot at one of them, the other would say something like, "Oh, no you don't. He's _mine_ to kill."

One day, when Dinobot and Rattrap were out on patrol, the other Maximals were sitting around enjoying a day in the sun, talking. Eventually Cheetor said, "Ya know, it's going to take something drastic for those two to realize they're friends."

"You're probably right, Cheetor." Rhinox looked up from the flower he'd been sniffing. "But there's little we can do about it."

"Are you sure?" Airazor asked from her perch. "I mean, can't we do something to make them realize it?"

"They have to see it for themselves, Airazor," Primal told her. "They can't be pushed. Just give it time."

Meanwhile, Dinobot and Rattrap were patrolling close to Predacon territory. The pair of them were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Rattrap finally broke the quiet.

"So Chopperface," he started. Lately he'd been wondering things. Things his crew had often said but he, himself, never understood. Most of it was because he didn't understand the Predacon language.

"What do you want, Vermin?" Dinobot turned his neck to look at Rattrap.

Rattrap hesitated, not knowing quite how to ask his question without sounding stupid. Even in his head it sort of sounded like a kid asking, "What does this word mean?" He sighed mentally and said, "Eh, never mind, fossil face."

So in silence they traveled for some time, each thinking about the other - Dinobot wondering just how naive Rattrap really was and Rattrap wondering if Dinobot was bullshitting him about his old gang. Both of them were so lost in thought that they didn't notice Terrorsaur and Waspinator bearing down on them. At least until the fliers fired on them. "Whoa!" Rattrap yelled. "We're under attack!"

"No? Really, Vermin? I hadn't noticed!" Dinobot yelled back. "Dinobot, Maximize!"

"Rattrap, Maximize!" Rattrap called out. Both transformed and started shooting at the fliers. "Hey, Chopperface. Is it just me or are dey actually dodging our shots?"

"You simply can't shoot worth slag, rat," Dinobot said, although he privately agreed with Rattrap. The fliers indeed seemed to be dodging the blasts. Part of the problem was that the fliers were flanking them and they had no way to block their backs. "We need to get to cover, Vermin!" Dinobot called out, leaping out of the way of a blast.

"Ya t'ink, scale belly?" Rattrap yelled back. They both transformed and started to run towards the nearby mountains, dodging shots left, right, and center. The fliers followed them as they reached the rocky wall. Nearby was a cave, but the fliers seemed to be blocking the way at the moment.

"Rat. Head to the cave, I'll hold them off!" Dinobot said as he transformed and fired his optics at them.

"Are ya nuts, Chopperface?" Rattrap yelled back.

"Just go, Vermin! I can handle those two morons!"

"Make dat t'ree, Scale Belly. We got Inferno incomin'!"

"Vermin, get going or I'll start shooting _you_!" Dinobot roared.

Rattrap transformed and started to fire. "De only bot dat's gonna be killin' ya is gonna be me!"

"You are the most irritating Maximal I have ever come across!" Dinobot hollered as he shot at Inferno.

"Yeah. An' I've met _posts_ who listen better den you!" Rattrap yelled back. The pair of them began to make their way towards the cave, firing along the way. They just managed to get to the cave when all three of the fliers converged on them and fired, causing the entrance to collapse. Dinobot shoved Rattrap into the cave and out of the way of the falling rocks.

-----

Some time later Rattrap woke up, a large rock having hit him on the head and knocked him unconscious. "Eh, Chopperface, yous alive?" Rattrap asked as he got up.

"Alive? Yes," Dinobot answered from the gloom.

As Rattrap switched to infrared, he saw that Dinobot was badly damaged and one of his legs was crushed under tons of rubble. "Chopperface!" Rattrap exclaimed as he ran over to Dinobot.

"Yes, Vermin?"

"Holy slag, Scale Belly." Panic crept into Rattrap's voice.

"Vermin, calm down. I'm going to need your help," Dinobot said, taking deep breaths to keep himself from panicking... or passing out.

"Okay, whatcha need?" Rattrap asked, still shaking a bit.

"First, scan for energon. My scanners are offline."

"Okay, gotcha." Upon scanning, Rattrap found that the energon radiation levels were nil here. Most likely the cave was shielding them. He did some fast calculations. "We're good for a few days if we need ta be," he told Dinobot.

"Good. Now I can't just stay under this rubble. I'm losing mech-blood fast, and I can't get to my sword. You are going to have to amputate my leg," Dinobot said calmly.

"_WHAT_!? Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me Chopperface -"

"Rodent," Dinobot said calmly, "if you don't, I'm going to lose more vital fluids. If that happens, I will most likely go into stasis lock, and I won't wake up from it."

"How can ya be so slaggin' calm about dis?" Rattrap asked, nearly panicking.

"Two reasons," Dinobot replied. "First, panicking would only make the situation worse. Second, I was in the Maximal-Predacon war for most of my adult life. This is nothing compared to some of the things I've been through."

Rattrap nodded and took out a dagger. "Okay, Chopperface. Where an' how?"

"Just below my hip, and use all the strength you have. Try to sever it in one clean cut. Understand?"

"Yeah, Dinodip. I get it. Ready?" asked Rattrap, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He raised the dagger and Dinobot nodded. Rattrap gauged his location and swung.

Dinobot grunted, gritting his teeth as Rattrap's dagger severed his leg. "Now, Rodent... you need to find... a way to seal the wound. My internal... repair system is offline, as are... my optic lasers."

Rattrap dragged Dinobot away from the pile of rubble. Once he had Dinobot far enough away, he pulled out a laser torch cutter. "Okay," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as Dinobot. "Dis might hurt." And, wasting no time for an answer, he brought the torch to what was left of Dinobot's leg.

Dinobot tried to suppress the howl of pain that came to his lips. At first he managed to keep most of it in, but a low growl finally found its way out. Once that growl escaped, he could not hold back the scream of agony any longer and the walls of the cave echoed with it.

Once the wound was cauterized, Dinobot leaned over and looked at what remained of his leg. "Nicely done, Vermin," he said laying down.

"T...t'anks, Chopperface," Rattrap stammered. He felt weak, faint even, both from what he'd done and from hearing Dinobot howl with pain like that. It shook him to hear Dinobot in so much pain. Then he found himself wondering, why? Why did he care about whether a Pred was hurt? And why did it bother him so much? Why did he _care_ so much about _this_ Pred? He thought about what the other Maximals had said on occasion about them becoming friends. He thought they were out of their collective minds then, but now he wondered if they had see something he hadn't. Or didn't want to.

'Maybe dey were right after all,' he thought to himself. Out loud he said, "Is der anyt'ing I can... ya know... do fer ya?" He was wringing his hands.

Dinobot looked at the vermin. Something was different about him. First, he was being nice, and second, he actually seemed worried. It didn't make sense. He watched the rat looking at him, his face full of... _concern_? He couldn't believe it. Why did the rat care? That rat didn't ever seem to even listen to him before, so why now? He couldn't see why. It just didn't make sense. Could it be some kind of trick? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he was exhausted from the mech-blood loss and needed to stay awake.

Finally he said, "Talk to me, rat."

"Huh?" asked the confused Maximal.

Dinobot growled a bit. "Did I stutter? I cannot be allowed to sleep." He thought for a moment, then asked, "What were you going to ask me earlier?" He hoped that it might prompt the rat to talk.

Rattrap looked down at Dinobot and sighed. "'Scuse da bad pronunciation," he said. "But what does..." Here he did his best to pronounce a set of words in Predacon that he never could figure out. "...mean?"

Dinobot peered at the rat through the gloom of the cave. The rodent seemed be a bit sheepish. "Do not be ashamed of your question, Vermin. Our two languages are fundamentally different."

"Yeah? Den why can a Pred speak Maximal, but it's almost impossible de other way 'round?"

At this, Dinobot laughed. "I have absolutely no idea, Rodent. Never had." Rattrap couldn't help himself; he began to laugh as well.

After some time both calmed down and Dinobot said, still chuckling, "As to your first question, Cheese Eater, the rough translation would be 'Family above all and this is family'. I take it this was most often said to other Predacons while gesturing to the Maximals of your gang?" Rattrap nodded dumbly. _Family_? Those Preds he'd hung out with thought of him as family? "You look baffled, Vermin." Dinobot shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable on the cold rock floor. "One might think you never suspected that fact..." He then took another look at Rattrap's expression and said, bewilderedly, "You really _didn't_ know?"

"Hadn't a clue, Chopperface," Rattrap returned.

"Which part?" Dinobot asked. Now he was _really_ confused. Rattrap's gang thought of him as family and he didn't know it? Absurd. He must not know just what being referred to as family entailed, at least for Predacons.

He was floored when Rattrap said, "Whatcha mean 'which part'? I had no clue dat dat's what dey were sayin'."

Dinobot sat up very quickly, causing him to growl in pain and grab his side. "And you're unaware of the connotations of what I just said?"

"Just what are ya babblin' about, Lizard Lips?" Rattrap looked more concerned over Dinobot's spasm. "Hey, shouldn't you be lyin' down?"

"If I continue to lie down, Rodent, I shall fall asleep," Dinobot told him. "Didn't they tell you what family _means_ to a Predacon?"

Rattrap just shook his head. "Not a clue, Scale Belly."

Okay. Now Dinobot was _really, REALLY_ confused. Then, thinking back, he understood. The Predacons, knowing that Rattrap wasn't born in a mixed district, must have felt that he wouldn't understand, or believe it if he did.

His musings were interrupted by his body giving a violent shiver. He had lost so much mech-blood that he was hypothermic. "Chopperface?" Rattrap leaned over and touched the raptor. "Holy slag. Yer cold as ice. Wait here," he said, hurrying off into the gloom.

"Where would I go?" Dinobot asked the dark.

A short time later Rattrap came back with an armload of rocks. He set the larger rocks in a circle around Dinobot, then placed the rest in a pile next to him. He then proceeded to use his welding torch to heat the rocks. "Dere ya go. Dat should help."

Dinobot could not help the sight of relief that escaped him. The warmth felt so very welcome. "Yes... very much improved," he said in a hiss while closing his eyes in satisfaction. His optics opened in surprise when Rattrap sat down next to him and threw what looked a fire retardant blanket over them both and over the hot, brightly glowing rocks. Dinobot gave Rattrap a quizzical look.

"Hey, when ya work wit' explosives ya learn ta keep some a' dese handy," Rattrap answered the unspoken question. "Nevah know when an incendiary bomb might go off when it's made from scrap, ya know."

Dinobot shifted a bit under the make-shift tent and in doing so bumped the rat's head. He heard Rattrap inhale sharply. "Are you alright, Vermin?" he asked.

"Yeah. Got hit in da head by somethin', dat's all. I've had worse," Rattrap responded. "Now what was yous sayin' 'bout family?"

"To a Predacon, family is everything. Beyond power, beyond conquest, family is everything. If for whatever reason a Predacon has no family, their comrades are where their loyalties go next. Then faction," Dinobot explained.

"But I know dat my crew had families," Rattrap stated, confused.

Dinobot chuckled. "You all were brothers, yes even the females, and _that_ made you family." He let out a soft sigh.

Rattrap looked up at Dinobot. "You don't have either, do ya, Chopperface?"

Dinobot growled in rage. "What's it to you, Vermin?"

"Hey, Chopperface, calm down." Rattrap patted Dinobot on the arm. "I, uh, didn't mean nothin' by it."

Dinobot looked down at the rat. He looked rather ashamed of himself. "It's....alright Vermin. I did have a family, but I haven't seen them in years."

"Sorry ta hear dat," Rattrap said, and he meant it.

Dinobot nodded and asked, mostly to change the subject, "Any idea when the Maximals will find us?

"Well, we're supposed to be back by night. When we don't turn up, dey'll come lookin' fer us," Rattrap answered.

"So..." Dinobot tried to break the silence that had fallen on them. "Why are you on Primal's crew?"

"Mainly as a navigator," Rattrap answered. "But partly 'cause a' my demolition skills. Ya nevah know when ya might need one."

"I see," Dinobot hissed.

"What about you? Why did ya join ol' Megs's crew?"

Dinobot was silent for a time, then said, "After the war was over, I had become superfluous. I was a soldier without an army. A warrior without a war to fight. I became a sell sword." Dinobot shook his head at the memory. "Megatron made his roundup call for his crew. Some Predacons thought that the Tripredacus Council was not acting in our kind's best interests. Megatron seemed to have the right idea about what to do. Gather energon, recruit more Predacons to our cause, and overthrow both governments and rule Cybertron. I wanted to be a part of that."

"So what happened, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked.

"I was betrayed by Megatron and Scorponok. Megatron only wanted power, to be in charge - all he wanted was the power, not the revolution he had painted when he first spoke to me. The last wire was when he led us to the wrong planet. I challenged him for leadership. Instead of accepting my challenge, like a leader should, he turned his back on me. Then Scorponok shot me," Dinobot told him, looking down at the rocks.

"Ouch," Rattrap stated.

"Tell me about your gang, Rodent," Dinobot told him.

Rattrap chuckled, "Well, dere was our leader Tri-Claw, not very tall but strong. He was yella' wit' deep red highlights. He took care of us mostly. Black Orchid was hot, I mean _damn_. She could seduce a glacier. She was a study in dark greens and when she sang, she could bring tears even to Tarantulas' optics, or make a funeral party wanna dance." Rattrap grinned a shit-eating grin. "When I got older I used ta fantasize 'bout her if ya get what I'm sayin'!" he said, elbowing the larger bot in the side. Dinobot shook his head to hide the half smile that crossed his features.

"Den dere was Hammer. He was gray an' brown. Big, kinda dumb, but he was actually gentle. He had a kid bruddah, an' woe betide anyone who tired to hurt dat kid. HardFist was silver wit' some red, he was actually de brains a da bunch. A wiz at math an' chemistry, but despite his name, not very strong. An' can't forget Marauder. A powerhouse in gold an' black..." He stopped and chuckled. "An' he was sweet on Black Orchid, but she was no one's girl."

He paused and thought for a moment, then said, "Den dere were de other Maximals. Sunbeam, painted yellow an' gold, anodder girl - pretty enough, but next to Orchid, well... Anyways, she was smart as a whip an' fast too. She could outrun any of us easily. Last but not least, dere was Starblank. Pale blue, pale gold an' white. Bit of a nerd, but he had been best friends wit' Tri-Claw like since they came on-line.

"An' dat's about it really," Rattrap finished. "Tell me somethin' 'bout yer days in da army." When Dinobot just looked at him with _that look_ he said, "Hey, ya said ta talk, so talk."

Dinobot was quiet for some moments, then he chuckled with a slight shake of his head. "Well, there was one thing that myself and several other bots in my Section managed to pull. I was a much younger bot in those days... Anyway, we bugged one of our female commanders' quarters."

"Why'd ya do dat?" Rattrap asked as he re-heated the rocks.

Dinobot laughed a bit at the memory. "We heard that she had some strange kinks, and being the young, virile mechs we were, we wanted to know what they were."

"What were dey?"

"Well, after we set up the bugs and the cameras, we put the receiving equipment in another room and watched. It turned out that that particular commander preferred females in her bed. However, she and her primary lover liked to bring a male into the room and tie him down, forcing him to watch while they interfaced. Then they would climb over him, not quite touching his unit. We would laugh at his predicament." Dinobot grinned.

Rattrap grinned lecherously back and said, "Ya can't tell me yous guys wasn't strokin' it ta all dat."

Dinobot couldn't help but laugh. "No, you're right, Cheese Eater. We did. The best part, however, was that we were never caught!"

"Really? I nevah figured ya for a spy." Rattrap chuckled.

"Not me. One of my squad mates, he set it up. I just wired up the monitors and recorders. The third member of our little group, he kept an optic on the time and made sure no one saw us enter the room."

"Huh...Wait, you're tellin' me dat you can wire bugs?" Rattrap asked, completely taken aback.

"Vermin, I am _not_ some front line, cannon-fodder grunt. Between you and me, Rodent, I could rewire the weapons systems in the _Axalon_ to shoot in patterns if I wanted. I could rework all the lights to blink in Morse code. Slag, give me enough time and I could make all the doors in the _Darkside_ reverse their current positions at the mention of Megatron's name if I so chose. However, I prefer combat. I _live_ for it." Dinobot sighed. "Forget it..." he started.

"I wouldn't understand. Right?" Rattrap mocked. "Gimme a shot, Chopperface," he said indignantly.

"Alright," Dinobot said with a small smile. "Combat is my life. Do you know the thrill of combat, Vermin? When you know that every blow misses you. When every shot you make hits. When you take your life in your own hands..."

"Actually, Chopperface, I kinda do. Bein' in demolitions an' all. Durin' da war, I used ta make bombs under some a da worst conditions. Spare parts, frayed wires, blastin' caps dat were two different cap halves welded together. Ain't safe," Rattrap explained. He then grinned. "Ya know anyt'ing 'bout buildin' bombs?" Dinobot shook his head. "A blastin' cap contains da primary explosive. Well, Pyrotechnic Fuse Blasting Caps are da most dangerous kind dere are. Ya gotta put da fuse inta da cap end crimped inta place by crushin da base a' da cap around da fuse. If ya crimp it too close ta da explosives, it can go off. Ya followin' me?" Dinobot nodded. "'Kay. Well, most bots'll use pinchers ta crimp da cap..." Rattrap grinned. "Not me. I bit 'em."

Dinobot nodded and gave him a look of admiration for his chrome-steel bearings. He then chuckled. "You've missed the point, however, Vermin. To me, combat is like a drug and sex combined, with an added adrenaline rush that people pay large amounts of credits to get a taste of. Battle lust courses through my body like a fire..." Here Dinobot gave a shudder of pleasure.

Rattrap's optics widened in realization. "You get off on battle?"

"Exactly, Rodent. I can't get enough of it. Battle fills my spark."

"That explains it," Rattrap mused.

"Explains what, Vermin?"

"Let me guess. You don't get wit' femmes much 'cause dey don't give ya da same pleasure dat fightin' does. Am I right?"

"You are correct, Cheese Eater. Females _do_ give me pleasure, but they cannot compare to what I feel when plunging headlong into enemy lines. Because of this, it has been...difficult...for me to find a worthy lover." Here he paused, then said angrily, "Bah! Why am I telling you all this?"

Dinobot went silent after that, and Rattrap didn't dare break it. He couldn't explain why he felt... He really didn't know _what_ he felt. Part of him wanted to comfort Dinobot, but he didn't know how. How do you comfort a Pred? Then it came to him. He remembered what Orchid had once told him.

"Listen, mech," she'd said once. "You're way out of your league. We Predacons don't put much stake in words. You want me, _take_ me. Strength is what we admire. Soft words mean nothing to us." At the time he wasn't quite sure what she had meant. Now he knew. Dinobot had put the last puzzle piece into place. But could Dinobot handle that sort of thing in his condition? And even if Dinobot could, could _he_? Dinobot was bigger and stronger then he was. And what if he was wrong? Rattrap sighed.

"What's wrong now, Vermin?" Dinobot asked exasperatedly.

"Nothin' Dinobutt. Nothin' at all," Rattrap said softly.

"Whatever," Dinobot growled. Rattrap got up, draped the blanket around Dinobot, reheated the rocks, then walked to the other side of the cave. There he sat, taking peeks at Dinobot now and then to make sure that he was still awake. Finally Rattrap heard Dinobot say, "Beast Mode." Dinobot slowly began to transform. Rattrap heard Dinobot's gears and servos grind and groan as he became a Raptor, minus his arm and a good portion of his chest, instead of a leg. He then walked over to where Rattrap was sitting and asked, putting a clawed hand on the rat's shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Rattrap looked up and said, "Yeah."

"No you're not, Vermin," Dinobot stated quietly.

Rattrap looked into Dinobot's face. Did the Pred know? Did Dinobot know what he felt, when he, Rattrap, didn't even know _what_ it was he was feeling? "Whatcha mean?"

"Vermin, you're sitting in a puddle of mech-blood."

"Oh. Okay. Can ya see where it's comin' from?" Rattrap asked, a little crestfallen.

"It seems to be coming from the back of your head. Most likely where you were hit and knocked out," Dinobot told him. Rattrap's expression didn't escape him. However, there were more important things he needed to do. Like fixing Rattrap. "Vermin, I need that torch of yours. I think your repair systems are off line."

"'Kay," Rattrap said, handing it over. "Just try to be quick, okay?"

"Alright. Hold still." He then brought the torch to Rattrap's wounds.

Rattrap's screams echoed around the cave as Dinobot sealed the wound. "H...h...how's it look, C...C...Chopperface?" he asked, shakily.

"Better, Vermin." He saw that Rattrap was trembling badly. "Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I...I'll be fine," Rattrap stammered, looking up at the Raptor. "Didn't know I was hurtin' is all."

"Good," Dinobot told him. "Get up, rat. You should stay near the heat."

"Okay, Chopperface." Rattrap got up on shaky legs and walked over to the rocks. Dinobot reheated them and sat down next to Rattrap, pulling the blanket back over them both. "T'anks, Chopperface." Rattrap just sat there, staring at the rocks, and Dinobot did the same. Silently the two waited.

Finally Dinobot broke the silence and said, "Why are you here, Vermin?"

"I don't know," Rattrap stated softly. "I just wanted ta get offa Cybertron, I guess."

"What _is_ bothering you Rodent? You are not yourself," Dinobot said, flexing his tail.

"Nothin' Chopperface," Rattrap said to the pile of rocks.

"Vermin, we may be here awhile, and if this rather..._uncomfortable_...silence continues much longer I shall dose off," Dinobot told him a bit aggressively.

"Hey, yous ain't talkin' much either, Dinodip," Rattrap snapped back.

"I am not one for -snarl- conversation," Dinobot said. "Never was."

"Da strong silent type huh?" Rattrap asked, smirking.

Dinobot nodded. 'The mech-blood loss must be making me light headed, for I'm going soft. Talking to a Maximal as though he were family,' Dinobot thought to himself. 'So the Rat isn't acting like his usual annoying self. I should be glad of it. And yet I'm not. It bothers me. What's wrong with me? I shouldn't care if something's troubling him. And just _what_ was with that look a few moments ago? I just _know_ I'm going to regret this.'

Out loud he said, "Look, Vermin, I saw that look a few moments ago. You looked as though someone had kicked you while you were off line. You've been too quiet, and not at all yourself." He shuddered as he felt dirt enter his chest. It would be safer, he surmised, to remain in robot mode. "Dinobot, Maximize." Dinobot transformed slowly, pain racking his body as he did so, and sat back down next to Rattrap. He resigned himself to hear about some Maximal drivel, but all that silence was even more disturbing to him. "So out with it, Rodent. What has got you so down?"

Rattrap looked at Dinobot. Part of him wanted to tell Dinobot what was the matter but he couldn't manage it. 'Dinobot'll laugh at me. I'm not even sure _what_ da problem is.' He put on a 'Devil-may-care expression and said, "What's it to ya, ya slag spoutin' saurian?"

"Because, you omnivorous piece of molten slag, either we get whatever it is out in the open, or we drive each other crazy with our silence and half attempts at conversations. It's already getting on my nerves," Dinobot said exasperatedly.

Rattrap just let out a chuckle he didn't feel. He couldn't say anything 'till he figured it out himself. So instead he said, "Nothin's botherin' me, Big D. Just wonderin' if my crew is still alive is all." It wasn't really lying, for his old gang _was_ on his mind.

"Some of them decided to join up, did they?" Dinobot asked, relieved that he wasn't going to have to listen to some pathetic Maximal sentiment. Worrying about one's family was natural. Even if you aren't aware that that's what you are.

"Yeah. An' I haven't thought a' dem in years," Rattrap responded.

"I wouldn't worry too overly much, Rodent. We Predacons are tougher then we sometimes look, and much more dangerous as well. Those of your gang that went in, most likely, ended up in the same platoon. They _already_ knew how to work well together after all, Mouse."

This topic kept the two occupied for some time. However, Dinobot's head began to droop a bit, and several times Rattrap was forced to shake the larger 'bot to keep him awake. He realized that there must be massive internal damage within the Pred. "Come on, Chopperface. Ya gotta stay awake," he said as he shook Dinobot rather hard, trying to keep him conscious. He had to keep Dinobot talking, so despite a strong desire to _not EVER_ hear about Predacon military practices he asked, "So tell me, what was P.T. like for yous?"

So Dinobot talked. Rattrap asked as many questions as he could think of to keep the large Pred talking and therefore keep him awake, little knowing of the damage that he himself had sustained when the rock had crushed part of his head. In the middle of a tale about one of the myriad battles he had been in, Dinobot noticed something. "Vermin, you're shaking," he said.

"Yeah, I know. Been doin' it for a few hours now," Rattrap responded. "I t'ink dat rock did more damage den we can tell, Dino-boob."

Several hours passed, and both were starting to wonder if the Maximals would find them this night. While they could survive in robot mode for several days due to whatever this cave was comprised of, the lack of fuel was going to be a problem, both of them being injured and needing to replenish lost fluids.

More time passed, and the pair of them ceased talking, needing to conserve their energy for more important things. Each kept an eye on the other, occasionally touching each other's shoulder to make sure they remained awake. However, Rattrap began to nod off despite Dinobot's attempts to keep him conscious. Dinobot had been through worse and knew how to keep himself awake through some of the worst conditions. Rattrap didn't. Dinobot could do nothing for him now, and simply tried to make the rat comfortable. Time stretched on - how much he couldn't tell, for he had turned off his internal chronometer. He had been told once that in situations like this, watching time tick by could drive a bot mad. He kept himself occupied with meditation techniques.

Time seemed to tick by forever, when he suddenly heard the sound of rock moving. Fearing a cave-in, he tried to shield Rattrap, but his own strength had given out ages ago and he could barely move. He soon realized that the sound was someone moving the rocks, and he grabbed the welding torch, willing to fight to the death. As the rubble cleared he saw a sight he never knew he'd be so glad to see. Rhinox was literally nosing his way through the rubble, with Optimus Primal moving the rock away, both in beast mode. "Optimus, I don't think I've ever been this glad to see you," Dinobot said.


	4. Uncharted Territory

**A/N WARNING THIS HAS SEX! Okay now that, that's all said and done with. The title was a suggestion from my boyfriend. I won't be posting for a while after this, I'm losing my internet for a short time. So enjoy a nice long chapter called...**

**Uncharted Territory**

"Dinobot, Rattrap, what happened?" Optimus asked as he, Rhinox and Cheetor entered the cave to see that Rattrap was off line.

Rhinox transformed and handed Dinobot a cube of energon, which he drank greedily. "The filers came at us in the open," Dinobot said. "We were retreating to the cave for cover. The roof caved in. I was pinned and badly damaged, while Rattrap was knocked on the head. I think there must have been more damage done, but I'm no field medic."

"Can you transform?" Rhinox asked.

Dinobot nodded and transformed slowly with a growl of pain. "How are we going to get Rattrap back to base?" he asked, looking at the unconscious Maximal.

Rhinox scanned Rattrap and said, "He can't transform and I can't repair him here."

"But if we try to transport him, he'll take way too much energon damage getting there," Optimus said.

Cheetor started pacing, frantically. He could help, possibly. But at what price? Could he risk it? Rattrap's life was worth it, so he said, "Strap him to my back. I can get him back before there's too much damage."

Optimus shook his head. "You're fast, Cheetor, but not that fast. He wouldn't make it. He'd die."

"Look, I'm faster then you think. You know that trophy in my room? I'm the champion of the Unicron Gouges three years running. We've got to try and I'm the best option we've got!" Cheetor exclaimed.

Optimus was confused, but he'd have to hold his questions for now. "Alright, Cheetor. Dinobot, you and Rhinox stay here. I'll go find some vines."

Shortly after, Primal came back carrying several vines. "Alright, let's get him tied down." Rhinox and Primal tied Rattrap down to Cheetor's back. "All done," said Optimus. "Go, Cheetor. Get back to base as quickly as you can. Run. _Fly_!" And Cheetor took off faster than the others had ever seen him move.

Cheetor's internal computer blasted music into his head as he raced across the planes. He pushed himself harder than he had ever done so in his life, even faster than when he raced, when he felt Rattrap begin to surge due to the energon. He felt his pump beat as hard as it could. He briefly wondered how much more of this speed it could take, but he ignored that train of thought. Relief flooded him as the base came into view. Putting on a final burst of speed, he lowered the shield and the lift and entered the base.

He got up to the main bridge and put Rattrap in one of the C.R. chambers, then sat there and waited while Rattrap was repaired. Eventually Optimus and the others came in, and Dinobot was ushered into the remaining chamber. By then Cheetor was in a chair, sipping energon. "Alright in here, Cheetor?" Primal asked once they'd gotten Dinobot in.

"Fine, Big Bot," Cheetor answered. "Rat-Face is comfy in the CR chamber, and we didn't see any Preds."

Rhinox noticed that Cheetor was rubbing his chest as he spoke. "Cheetor, you okay?"

"Huh?" Cheetor blinked.

"You're rubbing your chest. What's wrong with it?" Rhinox asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Big Green," Cheetor told him, but he looked nervous.

"Well, let me run a quick scan, okay?" Rhinox said, in that "I'm only asking as a formality" tone.

Cheetor sighed. The game was up. "Sure."

Rhinox ran the scan on Cheetor and looked over the results with disbelieving optics. "Three of your six valves have blown and two of your tubes have ruptured," he said in surprise.

Cheetor heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm not all that surprised, to be honest. The last time I had this thing worked on, it was a quick patch job rather then a full overhaul on the damned thing. I've got a faulty pump, been that way all my life. My pit crew's been repairing it since I started racing. Every time it blows, they overhaul it. It'll be alright. Once Dinobot and Rattrap get out, I'll hop in. But I can't do that again," he explained. "I had one good run in me here. Rattrap needed it to survive. See, I pushed myself harder then I've ever done before... I can't do that again without a proper repair facility. The CR chamber can put it back together, but it can't fix the problem itself. Though I gotta say it felt good to use my speed for something better then getting credits to spend on fixing my pump."

"Why didn't your parents tell me any of this?" Primal asked.

"They put all my medical information into a file, but...I...uh...got someone I know to omit the fact that my pump was bad. I didn't want to be babied for it. Or worse, told I couldn't come along. And they have no idea I race... as long as I kept my races sort of close together, they just believed I was doing some after school thing..."

"Why didn't you get it replaced?" Rhinox asked.

Another sigh. "That's part of the problem...my mech-blood has something in it that causes the problem... and we've had some of the best look at it. The most we've managed to do is to rig it so it can be repaired in a CR chamber, but that's about it. Look I'm gonna go lay down 'till they get out."

"That sounds like a good idea. Rhinox, you take Cheetor back to his room and keep an eye and scanner on him," Primal ordered. Rhinox nodded and followed the exhausted cat to his room.

- - - - -

Some time later, Dinobot and Rattrap exited the chambers. "You two okay?" he asked as they came out.

"Yeah, sure Big Banana. How long were we gone, anyways?"

Optimus sighed a bit. "We were looking for you for two days…You two sure you're going to be alright?"

"Yeah, Pop-Op, we're fine," said Rattrap. Dinobot nodded, and the two left the room.

"_Are_ you alright, Vermin?" Dinobot asked, looking down at the diminutive Maximal.

"I will be, Chopperface. I just gotta figure some shit out."

"I understand, Rodent. So do I." He placed a hand on Rattrap's shoulder and gave him a small smile. Rattrap returned the smile, and the two parted.

Later that night, Rattrap paced his room, unable to sleep. That strange feeling was bothering him, but he _still_ couldn't place it. All he could figure out was that it involved Dinobot. A part of him wanted to get over there and talk to the Pred about it, but he knew that Predacons weren't into talking about their feelings. He sighed to himself and decided that he had to at least try. "Come on, rat, if you're lucky he'll kill ya quick," he whispered to himself as he left.

Dinobot was lying on his bed reading when he heard a knock on his door. "Enter!" he barked, and Rattrap did. Dinobot's room was decorated with several copies of his sword and several hides from difficult kills, including that of his former clone. His berth was covered with furs, several of them rolled up to allow Dinobot to be partially propped up, as he was now. "What do you want, Vermin?"

"I really don't know, Chopperface. Somethin's been botherin' me," Rattrap started.

"Why come to me Rodent? What makes you think I care?"

"Cause whatever it is it seems to revolve around you."

Dinobot sat up. "Me?"

"Yeah. I just can't figure it out. So I figured I'd just, ya know, come here and talk. Maybe I'd figure it out."

"Rodent," Dinobot said exasperatedly, putting his book down on the small desk next to his bed, "do I look like a shrink to you? Do I?"

"I know, Chopperface, but dis is drivin' me _nuts_!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"Calm yourself, Vermin." Dinobot stood up. "I do owe you my life. While I find your Maximal emotional drivel annoying, I shall listen."

Rattrap knew perfectly well that Dinobot had saved his life as well and they were even, but he didn't want to argue semantics at the moment. "Well, Chopperface, it's kinda like dis." Acting on impulse, he tackled Dinobot.

"What in the universe are you doing, Cheese Eater?" Dinobot hollered.

"No idea, but it seems ta be a good one," Rattrap answered.

Dinobot threw Rattrap off of him and tackled him in return. "Why have you attacked me unprovoked?"

"Somethin' Black Orchid told me. If ya want somethin' from a Pred, ya gotta take it."

"Do you know what she was referring to?" Dinobot asked, pinning Rattrap down.

"I t'ink so, Chopperface, but I don't care." Rattrap kicked Dinobot off of him.

Dinobot stood up and looked at him. "Do you really understand?"

"Sorta," the rat admitted with a shrug.

Dinobot crossed his arms over his chest. "Vermin, with what you've told me, you are invoking a Predacon mating ritual."

Rattrap's optics widened, then he thought for a moment. That strange feeling tugged at him again and the idea seemed intriguing. "Well," he said slowly, "I guess... dat's okay wit' me."

"Really, Vermin," Dinobots aid with disdain. "You couldn't handle me, so don't ever try. Get out."

Rattrap ran at Dinobot and tackled him again. "Let me prove myself, Dinodip!" he yelled.

Dinobot held back the grin that threatened to cross his features. The rat had bearings, he had to give him that. "Very well, Vermin. Brace yourself!" And with that, he threw Rattrap off of him, but in doing so he wrenched Rattrap's torso plate off. He then threw himself onto the rat. "This is what we call foreplay," he growled into Rattrap's ear.

"You gotta be kiddin' me, Chopperface," Rattrap said, a surprised look on his face.

"Are you sure you want to continue, Rodent?" Dinobot asked him.

Rattrap looked up at Dinobot and thought for a moment. He realized that he _liked_ the feel of Dinobot's weight on his body, as his rod began to press slightly against his cod-piece. He grinned and said, "Yeah, I do."

"Very well," Dinobot told him. "Your turn."

Rattrap forced himself up, toppling Dinobot. "Eh, I'm uh not sure I know what I'm doin', Fossil Face."

Dinobot got up and placed a hand on the rat's shoulder. "I shall teach you Rodent. First part of foreplay involves taking off your partner's armor. I've heard that Maximals use the removal of armor as a sensual act. Predacon sex can be violent and rough. Everything from foreplay to sex itself can and often does cause us pain. It arouses us," he ended in a hiss.

"So basically, right now I've gotta get your armor off ya, while you do da same during a brawl?" Rattrap asked. He was a bit nervous but that feeling was getting stronger, so he went with it.

"Exactly," Dinobot stated. "This part is also to prove your worth to your chosen partner."

Rattrap took a deep breath, threw caution (and common sense) to the wind, and said, "Okay Scale Belly, here I go." And with that he grabbed one of Dinobot's legs and heaved up on it, throwing Dinobot onto his back with a loud clang. Then he tore off Dinobot's torso plate and tossed it aside. This went on for some time, until both males were clad only in their cod-pieces. Dinobot, however, had left the back plating of Rattrap's armor on. It seemed that it was too integrated to his body.

"So," Rattrap asked, panting now, "how'm I doin'?"

Dinobot grinned. "Much better then I expected from a Maximal."

"Good," Rattrap said. Suddenly Dinobot pinned him to the floor, ripped his cod-piece off and threw it aside, revealing his half erect member. "So whatcha 'tink?" asked the rat, blushing very red.

Dinobot gave a small growl. "Not bad, Vermin. Not bad at all." He ground his hips against Rattrap's body and grinned as Rattrap's rod swelled to its full length of five and a half inches. "Much better." Dinobot grabbed Rattrap's member and pumped it several times, reveling in Rattrap's groan of pleasure.

"Oh, dat feels so slaggin' good, Chopperface...but somethin's wrong heres," Rattrap said.

"Oh," Dinobot snarled. "And what would that be?"

Rattrap heaved Dinobot off of him, sending the raptor flying, and pinned him down. "You're still wearin' yer cod-piece," he said, his tone changing from playful to aggressive. "Let's change dat." With that, he ripped off Dinobot's cod-piece and tossed it aside, a trail of natural lubricant following it.

"Dat's better," Rattrap said. He looked down at Dinobot's erection. The head was sticky with natural lubricant and the tip was engorged with the Predacon's arousal. What got Rattrap's attention was how _large_ Dinobot actually was. At nearly eleven inches, his member was _huge_, and it was _ridged_. 'Huh boy, I hope ya know what yer gettin' in ta,' Rattrap thought to himself.

"Well, Rodent? Are you going to stare at it or use it?" Dinobot said with a grin.

Rattrap seized Dinobot's sizeable member and stroked it. Dinobot growled in pleasure and thrust his hips up into Rattrap's downward stroke. "So, have I proven myself yet? Or do ya need more proof?" Rattrap asked.

"So far so good, Vermin," Dinobot snarled. He suddenly grabbed Rattrap and brought the Maximal up to his face and kissed him roughly, challengingly. Rattrap was stunned at first but soon returned the kiss in kind, each acknowledging the other's strength. Dinobot broke the kiss and said, "Now, are you ready for me?"

Rattrap gave a shy smile despite himself and blushed. "Well," he said, looking a bit uncomfortable, "dere _is_ one 'ting I wanna do."

"Really?" Dinobot said, intrigued.

"Yeah...I wanna taste ya," Rattrap blurted out.

Dinobot grinned at the rat. "Very well, Cheese Eater." He got up and walked over to his bed, lying down and propping himself up on a pile of furs. "Take it," he said smugly, gesturing to his unit.

Rattrap walked over to Dinobot and climbed onto the bed. He then knelt down and took the tip of Dinobot's unit in his mouth. Rattrap grinned around the throbbing rod as he heard the large Pred growl in pleasure. The natural lubricant tasted strange to him, but good at the same time. He gave Dinobot's rod a stroke and sucked as more lubricant was excreted. He took more of the large member into his mouth and began to suck harder on it.

Dinobot cried out in pleasure as Rattrap worked his rod. Rattrap couldn't help himself any longer, he wanted Dinobot's seed, so he went to town on the rod in his mouth. What he couldn't handle with his mouth he stroked with both hands. After a brief time, he stopped to give his jaw hinges a rest. "So, Chopperface, enjoyin' yerself?" he asked with a smirk.

"Oh, yes," Dinobot said returning the smirk. "Done this before?"

"Nope," he answered still smirking. "But I've gotten plenty a' blow jobs in my day. Ya learn what feels good."

"Indeed. Now, Rodent, either finish what you started or (snarl) are you ready for something more?" Dinobot asked.

Rattrap thought for a moment, then said a little shakily, and slightly sheepishly, "Be gentle."

Dinobot looked down at Rattrap and stroked his face with a claw, scraping the paint as he did so. "I know what happened. I shall endeavor to be so." Inside, a part of Dinobot was seething at what a gang of Preds had done to Rattrap. He wanted to show him that not all Predacons were rapists.

Dinobot reached over to the desk, opened a drawer and removed a tube of lubricant. He normally used it on his joints and sword during routine tuneups, but it would do the job of readying the rat for his dimensions. He opened it and said, "Bend over, Rodent."

Rattrap did so and gasped as he felt Dinobot's fingers slowly enter him, lubricating him, readying him for Dinobot's unit. He gave a low moan of pleasure, something he wasn't expecting, and pushed back against Dinobot's probing fingers. He felt Dinobot pump his fingers in and out of him for a few moments, adding a third, then Rattrap felt him withdraw. He gave a small whimper of need and turned to look back at Dinobot. "Here, gimme dat," he said, taking the tube from him. He then put a generous glob of lube into his hand and stroked Dinobot's rod with it.

Dinobot moaned and thrust his hips against Rattrap's pumping hand. As he did this, Rattrap stroked his own hard member 'till Dinobot growled out, "Enough of this teasing!" He picked up the rat and set him down on hands and knees. Dinobot moved up behind Rattrap and rubbed his painfully erect member against Rattrap's waste disposal unit hungrily.

"Gettin' impatient, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked smugly.

"You could say that," Dinobot told him. "Relax now, Vermin. I shall go slow, but most likely it _will_ hurt at first."

Rattrap took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. I'm ready."

Dinobot placed the tip of his member at Rattrap's entrance. "Now." He pushed the tip of his unit into the smaller Maximal. Rattrap screamed into a bunch of fur as Dinobot entered him. "I can't make this any easer then I already am, Rodent."

"I know, Chopperface. It's just...yer so big. It's hard ta take," Rattrap said, clenching furs in his fists.

"It will get better if you persevere and endure," Dinobot told him. "But we shall do this on your terms. Just tell me when you are ready."

Rattrap slowly pushed himself back onto Dinobot's rod, gasping slightly as each ridge entered him. Dinobot could barely take the agonizingly slow entrance. The rat was _so_ slagging _tight_ it was nearly crushing. Rattrap stopped and looked back at Dinobot to say, "Re-lube yourself dere, Chopperface." Dinobot nodded and did so. Then, to his surprise, Rattrap said, "Okay, let's do dis." And shoved himself onto Dinobot's throbbing member. Both bots let out yells, Dinobot in pleasure, Rattrap in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Are you alright, Rodent?" Dinobot asked, concerned.

"Y...yeah," Rattrap replied in a shaky voice. "I...when it happened, dey went slow and it hurt. A lot. So I just figured dat it might be bettah if I took it as quick as I could, ya know?"

Dinobot wanted to comfort the rat, but he didn't know how. His rod was screaming for release. He wanted so badly to thrust into Rattrap, to soothe the burning ache of pleasure. Taking a guess at what he hoped would comfort Rattrap, as well as diminish the ache in his unit, he leaned down and kissed the back of Rattrap's neck. "Just take it easy, Rodent. Give it some time. When you're ready, just let me know."

Suddenly the raptor got an idea. Reaching down, he began to stroke Rattrap's member.

Rattrap gasped as he felt Dinobot fondle him. "Whatcha doin'?"

Dinobot gave a bit of a chuckle. "Helping you to relax."

Slowly Rattrap felt his entrance relax around Dinobot's throbbing unit. He let out a low groan of pleasure. He needed it more he suddenly realized. "Take me," he moaned. "Please."

"Are you sure?" Dinobot asked, not wanting to do more harm to the smaller Maximal.

"Yeah, Chopperface. I'm ready fer ya."

Dinobot waited a few moments, stroking the exposed part of his own rod as well as Rattrap's own stiff member. Finally he said, "Alright rat, here we go." And with that Dinobot withdrew a bit and thrust back into the rat, who let out a loud moan of pleasure.

Rattrap had never before felt such pleasure. It felt so good, even slightly dirty. And yet he was reveling in it. The more he got, the more he wanted. The fact that Dinobot was still stroking him with each thrust only added to the intoxicating pleasure. He started to thrust back against Dinobot's pumping thrusts.

Meanwhile, Dinobot was holding back his desire as best he could. Oh, how badly did he want to pound hard and fast into the Maximal's willing body, to _take_ him. To make the rat _his_! But he knew that Rattrap couldn't handle such a thing. Such a Predacon mating would scare him, right now at least, or worse, traumatize him. After all, most likely that was what his rapists had done. Dinobot balled up a fist full of furs with his free hand and suppressed a growl of frustration.

"You...ah...okay back...ohhh...dere, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked, seeing Dinobot clutching the furs beneath them, tearing them unintentionally with his claws.

"I'm fine," Dinobot yelled as Rattrap thrust against him.

"Don't lie ta me, Scale Belly. Yer tearin' up dem nice furs." Rattrap turned to look at Dinobot as best he could. Dinobot's jaw was clenched tightly shut and there was a strained look on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Dinobot slowed his thrusts down and said after a time, "I told you I would go as gently I as could, but I _am_ a Predacon. My body craves a more violent coupling, and it's all I can do to deny myself such."

Rattrap thought about this revelation even as Dinobot resumed thrusting. How long could Dinobot hold back that urge? And what would happen if he couldn't? He had started this, not Dinobot. He could stop it right here, but he really didn't want to stop, nor be thought a coward. He let out a moan of pleasure as Dinobot gave a long slow thrust.

Finally the rat gave himself a mental shake. He had to stop running from what happened. He knew that now. Something clicked inside his processor. "Yo' Chopperface. Give it ta me," he said over Dinobot's growl of pleasure.

"You're _mad_ Vermin!" Dinobot retorted, freezing mid thrust. "Absolutely mad! You..."

But Dinobot didn't get the chance to finish his statement. "Dis is what I want. Listen, I've been runnin' from what happened. Even now I'm runnin' from it, an' I'm tired of it. I can't run no more. I gotta get over it." Dinobot started to chuckle. "Hey! It ain't fun..."

But Dinobot cut across him. "Sex therapy, Vermin? I told you, I'm no shrink." And with that, Dinobot started to laugh.

Rattrap's optics widened as he got the joke. Soon he joined Dinobot in laughing for a time before slamming himself onto Dinobot's throbbing member. "Okay, Fossil Face, what do I gotta do? Send ya flyin' again?"

Dinobot moaned loudly at that thought. "As pleasurable as that sounds, Rodent, I don't think you are quite in your right mind...." Rattrap pushed himself onto Dinobot's unit again, and Dinobot growled in lust. His free hand, seemingly of its own accord, reached up and dragged its sharp claws down Rattrap's furry back. Rattrap's scream brought his attention to what he was doing. "Vermin?" he asked in concern, fearing he had harmed the rat.

"Chopperface, if you don't do dat again, I'm gonna have ta fuckin' hurt ya," Rattrap squealed in delight. Damn it had felt so good to feel that raptor's claws on his back. He wiggled a bit trying to get the Pred to do it again.

Dinobot looked down at the squirming Maximal, a shudder of pleasure going through him at Rattrap's words. He _wanted_ more....a thought crossed his CPU. 'Hum. I did not harm him, and it seems to calm the fire within me... perhaps I have found a compromise.' He then grinned and raked his clawed hand down Rattrap's back, reveling in the rat's scream of pure ecstasy. Dinobot thrust slowly, drawing every cry of passion, every cry of pleasure he could out of the Maximal. He leaned over, touching his chest to Rattrap's back, feeling his beastmode tail and fur tickle his torso. "Rodent," he whispered, "you are so slagging _tight_. You feel divine."

Rattrap shivered in delight at Dinobot's words, sending a pleasurable feeling through Dinobot's body. "You...ain't so bad... yerself....Scale Belly." Rattrap wanted to feel all of Dinobot's impressive length, but he already felt so damned _full_. And yet every time he thrust back against the larger bot, he didn't feel Dinobot's groin against his aft. Rattrap's train of thought was totally derailed when Dinobot ran those delectable claws back down his back. He let out a squeak of delight and he heard Dinobot's lusty growl and a hint of a chuckle. "What da fuck's so funny?" he asked.

"Hearing you squeak is a strangely arousing sound, and that amuses me." Dinobot let his claws trail down Rattrap's thigh. The rat may have been small and lithe, but there was strength in those leg-cables, pulled taut from sneaking around all his life. The larger bot trailed his hand over Rattrap's body, noting when he got a peculiarly good response. Every now and again he ran his claws over those spots. Every time he heard Rattrap moan or cry out in pleasure, his own body would shudder in response. Once in a while he used his free hand to rub the part of his shaft that would not fit within the rat.

Rattrap looked back at Dinobot over his shoulder. 'Oh, no. You ain't de only one who can play da teasin' game,' he thought as Dinobot's claws danced along one of his more sensitive spots. Grinning to himself, he _clenched_, squeezing Dinobot's rod as hard as he could. He chuckled as Dinobot roared into his neck with pleasure and surprise. "Take dat," he said smugly.

"So, you wish to play, do you?" He grinned lustily down at his lover. "Very well, Vermin. We shall _play_."

'Huh-boy, I t'ink I may have really put my foot in my mouth,' Rattrap thought at Dinobot's grin. It was almost predatory in nature and he started to shake despite himself, but not in a good way.

He heard Dinobot whisper softly in his audio-receptor. "Are you alright?"

"Just...eh... Don't grin at me like dat again, 'kay?" Rattrap said frankly.

Dinobot nodded. "Do you still wish to play?" he asked softly, fingers teasing the rat's body. "Or would you prefer to stop?"

Rattrap's response was instantaneous. "Hells no, Lizard Lips. Just don't look at me like I'm a piece of meat when we're doin' dis, a'right?"

Dinobot nodded again and ran his claws down Rattrap's back. "Very well," he said, as he resumed thrusting. Rattrap lowered his head and moaned loudly into the furs. Then he grinned and squeezed around Dinobot's shaft again, reveling in the raptor's outcry of pleasure. Dinobot shivered and wondered just how long he could keep this up. He sped up his thrusts, riding the rat now, every now and then running his claws either down Rattrap's back or over one of the rat's pleasure points. With every cry of pleasure the rat made, Dinobot got that much closer to his release.

A thought came to him. "Vermin, this is not going to last much longer. It has been a long time since I have been able to indulge in self-gratification, between Primal's schedules and Megatron's attacks, and it has been even longer since I have been with another. I am nearing my summit." He grunted loudly as he thrust into the rat again, and the rat groaned in pleasure. "I ask you now, before I reach the point of no return...shall I spill my seed into you, or would you prefer that I pull out before that happens?"

Rattrap thought as best he could through a haze of lust. The idea of Dinobot losing control and just releasing in him sounded good at first, but then his traitor of a CPU reminded him of his attackers. How each one had reached climax while still inside of him, till their seed ran down his legs.... "Pull out... when yer ready ta," Rattrap told him, focusing on the exquisite feeling of Dinobot's claws and member.

"Very well," Dinobot said in understanding. His thrusts began to pick up speed again, going faster and faster, and Dinobot realized that he was closer to climax than he had thought. "So close, so close," Rattrap heard him whisper. "I...need..._release_!" The large bot grabbed on to what self control he had left. Now more than ever he had to keep a level head. He _had_ to control his thrusts so as not to harm the smaller bot beneath him. He began to feel himself slipping over the point of no return, and he grabbed Rattrap's hips in both hands.

Rattrap actually growled when Dinobot's hand left his rod. "Hey Chopperface, you ain't de only one pent up here."

"Your release.... will come.... soon enough... Oh Primus, Vermin..." Dinobot cried out. Through his lust-fogged CPU he remembered what Rattrap had asked, and the ex-Predacon pulled out suddenly, grabbing his rod and stroking it feverishly.

"Oh no ya don't," Rattrap said with a wicked grin. He pulled Dinobot's hand off his rod and replaced it with his own, stroking Dinobot as fast as he could.

With his hands free, Dinobot groped in the drawer he had retrieved the lubricant from and pulled out a cleansing cloth, which Rattrap took from him. Dinobot's hips rose off the bed to meet with each of Rattrap's strokes. 'Almost there...so close...so good....' Dinobot thought. Suddenly he felt the preparatory throbs of his rod: his release was at hand. "Oh Primus....RATTRAP!" Dinobot screamed as he shot his fluids into the cleansing cloth.

Rattrap watched as Dinobot's rod pumped load after load into the rag, slightly startled that Dinobot had actually cried out his real name, not some nickname. The sight of Dinobot nearly flooding the cloth made him hotter then ever. He wanted release, and he wanted it _now_. He waited till Dinobot calmed down, then gave the raptor's length one final stroke to make sure all of it was out before saying, "_My_ turn," in hungry sounding words. He knew that no matter what, he wasn't going to last very long. Dinobot had been stroking Rattrap's member the entire time he'd been interfacing with him.

Dinobot looked at Rattrap, panting slightly. He couldn't remember the last time he had climaxed that hard. "What do you want?"

"I wanna take ya!" Rattrap exclaimed through his lust at seeing Dinobot pant. Dinobot smiled and bent over to allow the rat easy access to his own waste deposal unit. Wasting no time, Rattrap quickly snatched the tube of lube and began to slide his fingers into Dinobot. Dinobot moaned loudly and pushed against Rattrap's fingers. After a brief time Rattrap removed his fingers and lubed up his own hot shaft. "You ready, Chopperface?" he asked. "I ain't gonna last too long...." He suddenly sounded embarrassed.

"Considering the fact that I have been pleasuring you this entire time, I'd be insulted if you weren't ready," Dinobot told him. "Now take me!" he demanded.

"You asked fer it." He entered Dinobot in one smooth thrust. He heard Dinobot hiss as he did so and asked, "You okay?"

"Vermin, if you don't start thrusting..." Dinobot was cut off as Rattrap did as demanded.

Rattrap thrust as hard as he could, picking up speed as he did so. "Primus, Chopperface... I didn't know dis could feel so good... I don't know how long I can keep dis up!"

"Do not hold yourself back. Harder! Keep it up until you can't stand it, then fill me!" Dinobot yelled at him.

Rattrap needed no further encouragement. He went as hard and as fast as his body could go. Long before he was ready, though, his body told him that he had passed the point of no return. "Oh Primus.... I can't stop now....!"

"Don't!" Dinobot cried out. Feeling the passions and lusts of another was turning him on again. "Release for me, Rodent! Hard, strong, now! Sate your lust within me!"

"Ooooohhhhh Primus......Chopperface...." Rattrap said, Dinobot's words having the desired effect. "So close... Primus yeeessss..." He struggled to hold back a little longer. Normally he lasted much longer than this, and releasing so early was a bit embarrassing to him, but the sight of himself entering Dinobot's aft was so good. "Primus...ohhh shiiiiit...DINOBOT!" Rattrap called at the top of his vocal unit as he poured his release into Dinobot. He rode his high as long as it lasted, then slumped, resting his head against Dinobot's back. He stayed there till his rod slipped out of Dinobot.

"Feel better?" Dinobot asked, turning around.

"Ohhh yeah..." Rattrap said in shear bliss. Dinobot helped the rat to his shaky feet.

"We should get ourselves cleaned up," Dinobot told him as he maneuvered Rattrap to his bathing area. Dinobot saw that the rat was walking gingerly. "Easy, Vermin. You're going to be sore." He turned on the solvent shower and quickly cleaned out Rattrap's essence from his body.

Rattrap, meanwhile, was busy staring at Dinobot's half erect member. 'Hummm,' he thought to himself as he cleaned his rod. Dinobot's unit was right in front of his face. 'If dis is da view I get...' Then he licked his lips as an idea came to him. He _still_ wanted to taste Dinobot's seed. He had been so distracted by Dinobot actually calling out his name that he missed the opportunity, but he had a second chance here. The very thought turned him on. Using the cleanser fluid falling from the shower head, he began to stroke himself as he grabbed Dinobot's rod and started to suck on it in one smooth movement.

Dinobot growled and leaned forward, bracing himself against the wall and allowing him a good view of Rattrap taking his rod in his mouth. "Primus, you are insatiable," he moaned.

"Hey, yer da one comin' in here half hard again, Scale Belly," Rattrap retorted smugly. "Now shuttup so's I can finish what I started." And with that Rattrap returned to the task.

Dinobot shuddered in pleasure. His rod was still so sensitive from his earlier release that it was nearly painful to have the rat suck on him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He let out a sharp hiss of pleasure as Rattrap's buckteeth scraped against the top of his rod. "Do that again," he said softly.

"Yer wish is my command," Rattrap said smugly. He then did just that, enjoying the sound of Dinobot hissing in pleasure. But he was tired, and he wanted to get some sleep before Primal got him up the next morning for whatever. So he went to town on Dinobot's rod, sucking, licking, stroking, all with fervor, his own rod twitching in his hand.

Dinobot was amazed at how talented the rat was at this, but he didn't spend any time mulling this over. He wanted to climax again. His mind played with the image of Rattrap drinking his seed, causing him to thrust into Rattrap's mouth. He felt Rattrap's tongue hit a very sensitive spot and cried out in need. "Right there, Rodent, right there!"

Rattrap grinned around Dinobot's unit and flicked the spot he found over and over again. "You like dat, huh?" Dinobot's wanton growl of lust was all Rattrap needed. He went to town on the rod again. This time he wasn't going to stop until Dinobot shot his load down his throat. The thought made Rattrap moan around Dinobot's unit. Dinobot's moans were getting more and more insistent every time he licked over that one spot. Then a thought crossed his mind, and he grinned evilly around the raptor's member. Positioning his mouth just right so his teeth would come down on that sensitive spot, he bit down.

Dinobot _roared_ in pleasure and grabbed Rattrap's head, holding it in place as the first spasms of climax washed over him. "Rattrap!" he called out as the wave of pleasure became too much for him.

Rattrap finally got what he wanted. Dinobot's seed entered his mouth. It didn't taste bad at all. Not something he'd want every day, but...When the first wave of Dinobot's essence entered his mouth, his stomach lurched and he nearly ended up inhaling. Gagging and coughing, he pulled back... "Yer a damned fire hose," he sputtered as some of Dinobot's essence ended up on his face.

Once Dinobot came down from his high, he replied, "Vermin, I am more then twice your size." He looked down at Rattrap. The rat's unit was straining upwards, and his face had Dinobot's seed on it. Taking a cloth, he wiped it off of the rat, then picked him up and planted a kiss on him. Rattrap squeaked into the kiss but wrapped his arms and legs around the much larger bot and returned it in earnest. Dinobot pinned him against the wall while kissing him, stimulating the rat's rod with his body. In nearly no time at all, Rattrap was yelling in release...yells that were swallowed up by Dinobot's heated lips.

"Feel better?" Dinobot asked, putting him down and washing off the essence that Rattrap had spilled.

Rattrap actually took some time to think. He said, after some long moments had passed, "Kiss me again, Scale Belly."

Dinobot looked at him oddly, but willingly agreed. There was just _something_ about kissing that rat. He tasted so sweet. While Rattrap returned the kiss, he cast around in his mind for that strange feeling. He found it, but now it seemed to have split: part of it he now recognized as lust, while the other part was just as indecipherable as ever, and just as strong as ever. It seemed strongest here in Dinobot's embrace. He still couldn't identify what it was, but more important things were overtaking his mind. He was _exhausted_.

"Yeah, Chopperface, I feel bettah. I'll feel just great aftah I get some shut eye," Rattrap said, breaking the kiss most unwillingly.

"Agreed," said Dinobot as they finished up the shower. Then the hunt for Rattrap's armor began. They finally found it all after about ten minutes of searching. At least by that time, Rattrap was walking much better.

"You're no longer limping," Dinobot observed.

"Yeah," said Rattrap, pulling on his armor. "Still hurts, but I gotta say, nowhere near as bad as..."

Dinobot cut across him. "Good. I'd be strung up if anyone noticed if you were damaged again." There was an awkward silence. Neither knew what to do now. Finally, a yawn from Rattrap settled it.

"Good night, Vermin," Dinobot said with a small grin.

"Night, Chopperface." Rattrap left, quietly walking back to his room. As soon as he got there, he passed out on his berth.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Review Responses  
**

**Only-A-Minor-Threat: **I am so glad that I made you laugh. And I have no idea why I don't get many reviews...

**andalitebandit-6:** While for any other pair of bots I would agree with you on the nicknames... however if you watch the show there is barely a sentence between them that they don't hurl an insult at each other. The one's they do the most... Nick names to make fun of the others habits and looks.

**Pandablubb:** Like I said before No clue as to why I have very few reviews but I'm hoping that this one will get quite a few.

Thanks for the reviews... and for those of you alerting and faveing my story PLEASE review as well... a simple Good Job will be more then enough!


	5. Caught Like A Rat In A Trap

**A/N Sorry this took so long but life kinda got in the way. Okay warnings... Sex, torture, bad accents, and bad grammar. This is a bit graphic so if you don't like it DON'T READ IT! Okay enough of the warnings. **

**And so I present unto thee my humble readers from my deranged mind.... (you know these entrances are just going to get worse right?)**

**Caught Like A Rat In A Trap**

Long before Rattrap would have liked, there was knock on his door. "Whoevah ya are, you'd bettah have brought room service," he said as he tried to wake up.

He heard Primal laugh and he knew that this wasn't just a 'How are you holding up?' call. Sure enough, Primal said, "Sorry Rattrap, waiter's day off. No time anyway. We just got a reading of energon in Sector 7. We need you to get there and see if it can be mined."

"Ain't that place got like all dem earthquakes?" Rattrap said in his best fake whine.

"Yes, we think that's why the energon just now came up on our scanners," Primal explained.

"Den send spots."

"He's still under observation. He nearly killed himself getting you back here," Primal said through the door. Very few bots opened the door to Rattrap's room. They didn't want to smell it.

"What?" said Rattrap as he sat up. "Why didn't anyone say nothin'?"

"He's fine. Rhinox would just like to keep him in the base for a few days. So you get to go. I'm sorry to do this after you've been that badly hurt, but we don't have a choice..."

Rattrap quickly realized that he was about to get one of Primal's 'Gotta beat the Preds to it' speeches. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," he said, barely containing the yelp of pain as he stood up. Without meaning to, he thought about the last time he had felt pain back there, but it was nowhere near as bad as after the attack. 'Get off dat train now,' he thought to himself.

"Good bot," Primal said, then left.

Rattrap had half a mind to push his luck, but the Boss Monkey would get on his case. He hissed as he moved sharply. He transformed to see if that helped. No dice. He sighed, transformed back to his robot mode and began to gather what he would need, moving gingerly and hoping he could conceal it once he got out of his room. Soon he was ready and left his room.

As he turned a corner, he ran headlong into Dinobot. He took a moment to admire the view he had of Dinobot's crotch plate before looking up at the much larger bot. "So... uh... Chopperface. We cool?"

Dinobot gave a slight head movement in the direction of behind the rat. Rattrap listened for a moment and heard Primal's footfalls. Dinobot then said exasperatedly, "Vermin, I will not kill you right now if that is what you mean. You shall know when I intend to kill you." However, he gave the rat the tiniest of smiles once Primal was gone.

Rattrap returned the smile and said grumpily, "Well, good ta know I got fair warnin'." He then transformed and left the base.

The one good thing, he realized, about being alone was that he had time to think - as well as the fact that no one would bug him about how he was walking just a bit awkwardly. So think he did, mulling over that nagging feeling. He knew that part of it had been lust, but the other part… it had gotten stronger during his one-night-stand with Dinobot, although that feeling became an almost nauseating one at the words 'one-night-stand'. They just didn't feel right to even think. The problem was that every time he'd really start thinking, he'd move wrong and send pain through his body. Add to that the fact that he was extremely tired (though he smiled at the reason), and he was hungry. He'd forgotten to grab something before he left. Oh, well. If was lucky he'd come across something he could eat, which was just about everything and anything.

Once again he moved wrong, and started cursing whatever and whoever came to mind. This was going to be a long walk. Then the ground shook, and he inhaled sharply as he fell on his aft. A _very_ long walk.

As Rattrap was cursing up a blue streak, Cheetor sat watching the monitors. Light duty, only short jaunts outside… it was going to drive him nuts in a matter of days, if not sooner. He stood up and stretched a bit; he'd been sitting there for several hours now, watching that no Preds caught Rattrap unaware. Suddenly, even as he watched the screen, Rattrap's little blip went dead.

"Giga bummer," Cheetor said to himself in a panic. He was just about to go looking for Rhinox when Optimus entered the room.

"Cheetor? What's wrong?" he asked, seeing Cheetor's worried expression.

"Big-Bot, Rattrap's signal just went dead!" Cheetor exclaimed.

Optimus put a hand on his shoulder. "Show me." Cheetor brought up where Rattrap's signal was last seen. Optimus looked over it carefully, then looked at Cheetor. "He's probably fine, Cheetor. He must be near that energon deposit, and with the area slightly geologically unstable it most likely has uncovered more. There's probably nothing to worry about." Oh, how wrong he was.

Rattrap felt sick, and he was now glad he'd missed breakfast. That sick feeling - plus the bits of webbing stuck to his fur - caused him to surmise that one or both of the spiders had taken him out at some point, most likely shortly after he had found the energon. There had been a quake and then nothing.

"Well, well, well. It seems the trap has caught a rat. Yeees." Megatron's voice came from somewhere. Rattrap opened his optics to find himself in an unfamiliar room.

"Whatcha want, Megs?" he asked as though bored. Inwardly he thought, 'Huh boy, dis week just keeps gettin' better and better... dis _reeeeeally_ can't be good...'

"Oh, not much. Glory, rule of Cybertron, you and your comrades dead at my feet. Not much at all, no." Megatron smiled and waited to see what the rat would say. There he sat, in beast mode, poisoned by both Blackarachnia and Tarantulas, and yet he still spoke as though the only reason he was here was because he had nothing better to do. It amused the tyrant.

"Yeah, ya hardly want anyt'ing dere, Megs," said Rattrap as he tried to get to his feet. The pain in his aft was really not helping right now.

Megatron walked over to the rat and picked him up in his T-Rex hand. "But there _is_ something I want from you, Vermin," said the Predacon leader.

"Hey, dinnah and a movie first. Besides, I doubt ya could afford me," Rattrap told him smugly.

Megatron growled and squeezed Rattrap hard. Rattrap dry heaved. "Oh, you will tell me everything I want to know, Vermin. Eventually. Yeeeessss." With that, he clubbed Rattrap hard over the head and got to work.

Rattrap awoke some time later, hoping that it had all been a dream. Unfortunately, when he felt that he was in robot mode and chained to the wall, ceiling, and floor, he realized that wasn't the case. "Huh boy, dis ain't good," he said to himself.

He heard the sound of splashing and looked up. He saw Megatron's tub, and the Predacon leader exited it.

"You're awake!" he said with false charm. "How nice! Now you can tell me how to shut down Sentinel."

Rattrap gave a scathing laugh. "Yeah right, an' I'm a Deception in hiding. Not gonna happen, Scales!"

"Actually, Vermin, I was hoping you would say something like that." Megatron pushed a button on a nearby console. The chain connected to the ceiling tightened up until Rattrap was hanging by his hands. The ones holding him to the wall and floor also pulled tight. At first Rattrap wondered about all this, until Megatron punched him, hard, in the gut. He swung a bit then came to rest. He was a punching bag. "Very well, if that is your answer... I've always wanted my own punching bag in my room, yeeees." Megatron sounded like a kid in a candy store.

"Do whatevah ya want, Laser Breath," Rattrap told him defiantly. "You ain't gettin nothin' outta me." Inwardly he thought, 'Come on, guys... hurry up and get heres....'

At first he kept up a strong face, saying things like, "Ohhh yeah, come on Megs, give it ta me," and "Just a bit lower, oooo, ahhh good massage," and of course, "Was dat supposed ta hurt?" However, after several hours of this, he was forced to stop his comebacks.

When Megatron saw that Rattrap was weakening, he stopped and cupped Rattrap's chin in his hand almost gently. "Well, Vermin, would you like to tell me anything?"

Rattrap looked up at him and took a shuddering breath. He then hocked back and spat mech-blood in Megatron's face. "Get scrapped, Mega-jerk!"

Megatron smashed his fist into Rattrap's face, then walked over to his comm unit and called into it. "Attention Predacons, we have a new punching bag strung up in my room. Feel free to come by and use him." Megatron grinned evilly at Rattrap and walked back to his tub to watch the fun.

Rattrap couldn't remember all of what happened to him after that. He knew that by the end of it he was bleeding badly from his jaw and some joints that he couldn't see. He was dented and even had holes in him, mainly from Blackarachnia's sharp pincers. "I've always wanted something to try out some new moves on," she had said as she left.

"So, Rattrap, are you going to tell me what I want to know?" Megatron finally asked him. "All you need to do is tell me what I want to hear and this will all stop," he added sweetly.

"Fuck you!" Rattrap yelled. It was hard to yell, but he wanted Megatron to know that he was still unbroken.

Inferno was the next bot to enter. He saluted Megatron with a, "My Queen, forgive my lateness."

Rattrap chuckled a bit. "Queen... I know who takes it in you guys's relationship."

Rattrap's humor was quickly halted when Megatron said, "He's all yours for now, Inferno." Rattrap trembled inwardly when Inferno walked over to him.

Several hours later, he knew that his shoulder joints were both pulled out of their sockets and that there was some major internal damage. 'Dis guy's gonna _kill_ me,' he thought.

Megatron spoke up as Inferno left another dent in the Maximal. "Inferno, dear, that's enough. You're too good at this. Come here, I'll give you something to do; give Scorponok his turn."

"Yes, my Queen," Inferno said as he walked away and Scorponok entered.

Rattrap couldn't help it. The term was too funny, and despite his pain he let out his staccato chuckle. "Dear," Rattrap managed to grind out. "I always figured dat somethin' was goin' on between yous twos."

"Be silent," Scorponok said, cracking him in the jaw.

"Now pleasure me while I enjoy the show," Megatron said as Inferno entered the bath and sat down next to his Queen.

The ant took Megatron's rod in his hand and stroked it as Megatron watched his Second In Command beat up Rattrap. "Does this please you, Royalty?" Inferno asked huskily.

"As always, Inferno, you do an excellent job," replied Megatron as he ran a hand across Inferno's face, caressing it. He got hotter as Scorponok worked over Rattrap. Soon he grew impatient with just Inferno's hand, so he grabbed the fire ant and bent him over the side of the tub, where he could watch.

Rattrap got a optic full of the sight of Megatron entering Inferno and said in disgust, "Awwww come on, I really didn't need to see dat. Someone just put out my optics already. Yeeeesh." Then he let out a scream as Scorponok grabbed one of his arms in a claw and clamped onto it, breaking the limb.

Megatron moaned loudly at the sight and rammed himself into Inferno. "Yeeeessss."

Inferno hadn't ever felt his Queen so hot ever before; such lust was shoving him closer to his release. "Oh, my Queen... I'm so clo-"

Megatron cut him off with a hand tightly clamped around his throat. "Now now, Inferno.... you know better than that, yeees. I always go first."

"Of course, my Queen," Inferno moaned. He gripped the side of the tub and concentrated on pleasuring Megatron. He could only hope to hold out until his Queen had finished. Feeling Megatron dig his fingers into his body nearly set the fire ant off. With a tremendous effort he held back his release.

Megatron was enjoying himself fully, with Inferno bent under him and the screams of a victim in his audios. A particularly loud _crack_ followed by a scream sent him over the edge, and he cried out as he filled Inferno completely with his seed. "Ohhh yeeessss," he said as he pulled out and sat down.

Inferno needed to follow Megaton into blissful ecstasy. "Please, my Queen… I have done as you asked..." He trailed off as he stood up, his unit painfully erect.

Megatron thought for a moment. "Yes, Inferno, and quite adequately," he said, now in an almost bored voice. "Very well, I shall finish you." He moved to get a better grip on the ant and gave the rod in his hand a sharp twist and a squeeze, then began to quickly run his fist over it.

In nearly no time at all, when Megatron gave it another sharp twist, Inferno cried, "Oh, my QUEEN!" Once he was done, he slumped against the tub. "Thank you, Royalty," he said breathlessly.

"Go clean yourself up, then return to your duties," Megatron said with a dismissive wave as he replaced his crotch plate.

Inferno did the same, and with his usual enthusiasm said, "Of course, Royalty!" He then saluted and marched out, flamethrower over one shoulder.

As the hours dragged on for Rattrap, he went from being able to come up with comebacks left, right, and center to being silent. Slowly he began to break. By the second day, he couldn't move his jaw at all and he was sure all of his limbs were broken in at least one place. However, he kept up his defiance, refusing to tell Megatron what he wanted, although he privately thought that Megatron was getting what he really wanted. By day three he could only whimper - the pain was too great to do anything else. At some point he figured that someone had overridden his Stasis Lock, as well as his pain dampening programs. He felt everything, but it all seemed to blur together. He was only given enough energon to keep him alive. The only break he ever got was Megatron asking him for the codes to the _Axalon_.

Even though screaming had long since broken his vocal processor, he still refused to give in. He started to drift from what was going on, locking himself in his own mind, the same trick he had used when he had been raped as a sparkling. The main thing that kept him going was Dinobot. The irascible raptor kept coming into his mind every time he considered telling Megatron what he wanted - telling him not to give in, calling him every name in the book to keep up his defiance.

While he was getting one of these mental pep talks, the chains shook him. It took a while to realize that the ship was under attack. The Maximals had figured out where he was and had come to get him. Megatron had left some time ago, leaving him alone.

Suddenly he saw the door open, and Waspinator entered. This surprised Rattrap. Waspy had been the only one who had never participated in his beatings.

"Shhh," Waspinator said, placing a finger in front of his mandibles. "Wazzpinator get you out." He went over to the panel and released the chains; Rattrap fell with a thud to the floor.

"Zzzzorry," the wasp buzzed. Rattrap tried to speak, but he couldn't. "If Wazzpinator givezz Rat-bot back to Maximalzz, Maximalzz won't blow Wazzpinator up.... and Wazzpinator really hatezz zzeeing zomeone being tortured like thiz." That last part seemed to be to himself as he carefully walked over to Rattrap. "Izz how Wazzpinator ended up like thizz." The wasp shook his head. Louder he said, "Rat-bot must trazzform."

Rattrap tried, but the pain was so great that if he could have he would have screamed. He remembered Dinobot transforming despite all the damage he had taken, thought of whatever it was Cheetor had damaged getting him out of that cave. With a silent scream of pain, he forced himself to transform.

Waspinator picked up the rat and left the room. With all the other Predacons out fighting the Maximals, he could get out. If he could get to his room, he could use his window and avoid the others. Somewhere along the way, Rat-bot passed out. He wasn't in stasis lock, though. His rat form had put him to sleep.

Waspinator made his way to his room and flew out the window and up. From his vantage point he could see Lizard-bot and Cat-bot and Horn-bot shooting at the ship. He looked around and saw Optimus Primal, Bird-bot and Tiger-bot waiting. There, he would bring Rat-bot there and get back to the fight before Megatron noticed he was gone. He came down towards the three saying, "No shoot Wazzpinator, no shoot Wazzpinator!"

"Hold your fire," Optimus said to Airazor and Tigertron. He watched as the Predacon flier landed carrying a sleeping Rattrap.

"Rat-bot is azzleep. You take Rat-bot, Wazzpinator no get blown up," Waspinator said with a nod. "Rat-bot hurt bad," the wasp added, then took off quickly and headed for the fire fight.

"What was that about?" Airazor asked, looking at where Waspinator had left Rattrap.

"I'm not altogether sure," Primal said. "But first things first. Maximals, we have Rattrap. Fall back and let's get him home. And _don't_ fire on Waspinator. I'll explain when we re-group. Primal out."

Dinobot covered Cheetor's and Rhinox's retreat. He never thought he'd feel _that_ relieved to hear that they had gotten Rattrap back. He was curious about why Primal had said not to fire on Waspinator, but he had his own theories. He shoved all that back into his mind - he'd think about it later. Right now he wanted to see that Rattrap was alive for himself. He followed his teammates away from the _Darkside_.

When they got to the rendezvous point, they transformed to beast mode.

"S...so what happened, big bot?" Cheetor asked, looking down at Rattrap's mangled form.

"Waspinator of all bots brought him to us."

"Waspinator? Why'd the bug do that?"

"I don't know, Cheetor, but right now Rattrap's safety is more important."

Cheetor looked down at his paws. "I can't run like that again... but..." He threw his feline head back. "I'll try." His tone was a mixture of sorrow and defiance.

"You won't have to, Cheetor. I can fly him back. He's in beast mode, so there isn't the threat of energon damage at least." Optimus patted Cheetor on the head. The boy was willing to risk his life for a comrade, something rare in those his age. Primal transformed and carefully picked up Rattrap.

Dinobot watched as the rat was lifted off the ground. His tiny rat eyes flew open and his mouth opened in a silent scream of pain. Dinobot had often seen such expressions during his time in the war, but seeing it on Rattrap made him shudder. Primal took off, and the other Maximals followed at top speed.

------

Several hours later, Optimus had gotten Rattrap into the CR chamber and the others had made it back to base. Cheetor was placed on the monitors, Optimus was in the other CR chamber to hasten the healing processes from energon damage, and Rhinox was busy going over the myriad wounds that Rattrap had sustained. There were so many that the computer couldn't scan for them all, so the green bot was scanning manually. So intent on his work was he that he never heard Dinobot come up behind him. He jumped when Dinobot spoke. "How bad is the damage?"

"About as bad as it can get with out him being dead." Rhinox looked about a million years old. When he finished the scan, he said, "There. All we need to do is wait."

"There is one thing you didn't scan for," Dinobot said, having watched over Rhinox's shoulder the entire time.

"Oh, and what's that?"

Dinobot thought for a moment. He cupped his own chin in one hand and tapped the side of his helm. 'Rhinox won't say word one if that fur ball is in the room,' he thought. He nodded his head slightly towards Cheetor with the expression, 'he doesn't need to hear this'.

Rhinox thought it was strange to see Dinobot caring for Cheetor's innocence, but he understood the unspoken message. "Cheetor, do me a favor. Go and get us some energon. We've been here for hours."

"Sure thing, Big Green!" Cheetor said, glad to be of some help.

As soon as he'd left, Rhinox asked, "Okay. What do you want me to scan for that you didn't want Cheetor to hear?"

"Check for signs of...._**violation**_..." The last word was growled out with barely contained rage and hatred.

"What?!"

"Megatron is a sick bot, and his sexual tastes reflect that. He enjoys the sight of someone being tortured... and is aroused by it." Dinobot shuddered slightly.

"I can see why you didn't want Cheetor in the room." Rhinox peered at Dinobot. "Since when do you give a slag about that, though?"

Dinobot huffed. "I don't. However, I know that _you_ do, and thus wouldn't say anything in front of the feline. Personally, I feel that you all baby him far to much considering we are in a war."

"He's still young, and something like that might cause him to cave in on himself. We need every bot on hand. There is simply no need to traumatize him any more then is going to happen due to war."

Dinobot seethed. "So, you'd rather him find out the hard way and be even more traumatized from lack of preparation for what might happen?"

"Preparing someone is one thing. Scaring them out of their wits is another." Rhinox's voice was growing in volume.

"Better to fear now and conquer it then be forced to face it with no defense."

Rhinox was about to retort when Cheetor entered. "Here ya go, fellow bots," he said, handing them each a cube.

Dinobot gave Rhinox a scathing look before downing his cube. "I'm heading to my quarters."

"Gee ,what's wrong with him?" Cheetor asked as he drank his cube. Rhinox didn't answer.

Dinobot started to pace around his quarters. He was angry, and worried. Over the last few days he had been contemplating what had transpired between him and Rattrap. At first he had figured that it had been a one-time thing. He knew that often when one survived a life or death situation, the urge to interface grew strong, and more often then not for the one you had survived with. But after giving that some thought, he dismissed it. There was more to it. Rattrap had come to _him_. After three days of contemplation and secretly worrying himself sick, he came to the conclusion that Rattrap, for what ever inexplicable reason, was attracted to him. When _that_ thought had first entered his CPU he had laughed at it, but after mulling it over, he realized that it wasn't just his overworked processor.

Now he had to wait. Just wait and see how bad the damage really was, both mentally and physically. It was going to be a long night.

At the crack of dawn, Dinobot entered the control room to see Rhinox sitting at a monitor station. There was no one else in the room. "You look like you got about as much sleep as I did," Rhinox told him. Dinobot merely scowled. "Anyway..." Rhinox lowered his voice a bit. "I did the scan you suggested. No sign of... that."

"Good. I have seen what Megatron can do to his victims. I would not wish that even on that vile rodent." Dinobot transformed and headed for the lift.

"Where are you going?" Rhinox asked. "Rattrap should be out of the CR chamber in a few hours."

"Out," Dinobot answered shortly.

Dinobot jumped out of the ship and ran off. His mind was a torrent of emotions. Hatred for Megatron and his crew. Gratitude for the fact that Megatron had not decided to take out his pleasures on the rat. Confusion at why Waspinator had helped Rattrap. Rage at what had been done. Concern as to Rattrap's condition when he got out, both physical and mental. Wonderment at why Rattrap had come to him, and a million other feelings besides those. He decided he'd go hunting, take out some of his frustrations.

An hour later he was devouring the body of some creature. He had mangled the body so badly when he caught it that it was now unrecognizable. After the third bone fragment tried to get stuck in his throat, he left the carcass be. He went to the nearby river, got himself a drink and washed the blood off his body before heading back to the _Axalon_.

He looked over at the CR chamber and saw that Rattrap was still within it, so he left and went to get some energon. As he left the control room, he saw Cheetor enter it.

"So, Big Green... How's Rattrap?" Cheetor looked as though he hadn't gotten much sleep either.

"He should be getting out here soon. Why don't you wait here, I'll go get him something to eat." Rhinox got up and headed out.

Cheetor hopped into the chair and waited. He didn't need to wait long. "Hey, gang!" he called into the comm. unit. "The computer says that Rattrap's just about finished."


	6. Misunderstandings

Rattrap groaned as he woke up scared shitless. Faces had swam around his mind. Faces he had long ago suppressed. The nightmare he'd had locked in what he now saw as the CR chamber had been horrible. All he wanted to do was get back to his room as quickly as he could. The door opened with a hiss and a plum of heated steam.

Cheetor grinned as Rattrap stepped out. "Rattrap!" He moved toward Rattrap arms open to give him a hug. Rattrap took a step back and held up his hands. "Hey come on RT it's me Cheetor..."

Rattrap ducked under Cheetor's arms and sprinted out of the room. He ran smack dab into Primal which sent him to the floor. "Take it easy Rattrap," Optimus said with a chuckle as he went to help the spy off the floor. He was rather startled when Rattrap scooted backwards quickly, got to his feet and turned down a corridor.

Rattrap nearly shook something loose when he flattened himself against the wall when Airazor started to walk towards him and he slid into another corridor to dodge around Tigertron. He was sprinting towards his room when he saw Dinobot. He merely elbowed the larger Pred with a "Outta my way Chopperface." He finally made it back to his quarters. He locked the door as soon as it shut and curled up on his berth, hoping that he would forget everything.

Rhinox entered the command room to see everyone there, looking rather bewildered. Well everyone except Dinobot. And Cheetor looked like he was going to cry. "What's going on?" He put down the arm load of various food stuffs he had grabbed for Rattrap. "And where is Rattrap?"

Cheetor scuffled his foot on the floor. "He came out of the chamber, and well I tried to give him a welcome back hug and he just panicked."

Rhinox listened as they each told him about Rattrap's strange reaction to their presence. However he did notice that Dinobot hadn't said anything. "Dinobot? Anything to add?"

Dinobot gave his customary growl. "If I had to make a wager... I'd say he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome."

Rhinox paused to think this over. "It's likely..."

Optimus cut in. "We should leave him be in any case for now. Forcing our company on him might not be the best idea.." He looked at Cheetor. "And it wasn't your fault Cheetor."

"Okay Big Bot."

"But go and drop off all this..." He gestured to the small pile of various fruits Rhinox and put down.

"Gotcha!" Cheetor scooped up the food and headed off. When he got to Rattrap's room he neatly put the food down and knocked. "Yo' Rattrap. Big Bot wanted me to tell you that we've got something here for you to eat, I'll...just leave it right out here for you..." A thought accrued to him. "Oh and uh I'll drop off a cube or two...Look its really good to have you back." He paused a bit and looked around. Seeing no one he continued. "Even Dinobot was starting to worry about you. But don't tell him I said so. He'll skin me alive. So, uh, yeah. I'm gonna go, but uh, well it's good to have you back." And he left.

Rattrap remained in his room for three days, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him. Rhinox was getting concerned. He remembered the last time Rattrap had sequestered himself like this, and it hadn't been pretty. One day he asked, "Has anyone heard him speak since he got out of the CR chamber?" Just about everyone said "No" at the same time except Dinobot.

"He told me to get out of his way," the raptor-bot said.

Rhinox just shook his head, not saying anything to his friends... Now he _knew_ what Rattrap was doing and right now they really couldn't afford for him to turn in on himself so he went to Rattrap's room. Finding the door locked he used an override code and entered. He found Rattrap in robot mode curled up on his berth staring at the wall. "Come on Rattrap. We both know this doesn't help. Look, we can take care of this the same way we did before." Rattrap just looked at him. "Yeah I kept the blasted thing, snagged it when I found out that you were going on the exploration mission too." Rhinox smiled. "And no I'm going anywhere until you start talking. And we both know I'm more patient then you are stubborn."

And so Rhinox waited patiently, completely ignoring Rattrap's glares. Finally Rattrap lost the battle of wills. "Fine, ya wanna know... fine..." and Rattrap explained what happened. Every hit, every punch, every kick. For hours he talked to his friend. "...an' den Waspy came in got me out... an' you guys got me home...I..." He drew a shuddering breath and broke down. "I haven't been dat scared since I was attacked..." He balled up his hands into fists as cleansing fluids built up in his optics and tears ran out down his face. Rhinox went to hold his friend as he had done so often years ago when Rhinox had gotten Rattrap to admit what his problem was back when they had shared an apartment, but Rattrap nearly fell of the bed trying to avoid his arms. Then Rattrap said something that made him freeze. "...I mean really Chopperface roughed me up de other day but..." He looked up at his friend and realized that his mouth had been running without his consent again. He had only meant to think that to himself, not say it aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Rhinox asked in a dangerous voice.

Rattrap swallowed hard, no stopping his motor-mouth now. "Well...When Chopperface and I got back from da cave ting... Well we uh..." And Rattrap explained the night spent with Dinobot to Rhinox. When he was done he scrubbed his face with his hands. "...An' when I was in da ' CR chamber... It started out wit' Dinobutt... den...'dose Preds... den Megs and crew... Primus it was just a mesh..." Rattrap clutched at the ridge on his helm. "..Fuck I remembered der _faces_ again!"

When he was done Rhinox said, "Rattrap try to get some sleep, you really need it. I'll bet you haven't slept since you got out of the CR chamber. Get to bed. Doctors orders." And with that he left. Thoughts swirled around in Rhinox's head. Cheetor having reopened an old can of worms... the cave in... Dinobot taking Rattrap roughly as a lot of Preds do... add to that his capture... a haze of red began to go over Rhinox's optics... Dinobot. He had ripped the seal right off of Rattrap... causing massive problems, causing Rattrap to remember the faces of his attackers. Faces they had worked so hard at repressing. That thought over-shadowed the rest. He would make Dinobot pay... He found the ex-Pred re-organizing the weapons room again. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" he bellowed charging at Dinobot. His fist connected with Dinobot's chin hard enough to break one side right off of the Pred's face, knocking him out cold. But Rhinox didn't stop there. The old feelings had returned after so many years and he brutally began to work over the unconscious bot. A few minutes later the red haze lifted and he looked down at Dinobot. '...I think I may have over done it...' He leaned down to check if the bot on the floor was still functional. Seeing that Dinobot _was_ still functional, he left to get a toolkit to repair the damage. When he returned with the toolkit and looked down at Dinobot he realized that he was still too angry to trust his hands to do repairs, so he left the kit next to the fallen warrior and left before he wound up killing him.

Some time later Rattrap exited his room. Rhinox had managed to shake him out of his funk and that had allowed him to grab a few hours nap. After his nap however Rattrap had quickly become tired of his own company so he went to find some. Maybe he'd get Rhinox in on a game of poker or something. He was looking for the tech when movement caught his optic, causing him to jump a bit. 'Okay so maybe you ain't still so good der rats,' he thought to himself as he looked for what had made the movement. He realized that it had come from the weapons room. Rattrap sighed to himself. 'Chopperface, I'll bet.' He gave a shrug and walked in. Maybe Dinobot could use a hand. Anything to not have to think about his own problems at the moment. He halted when he saw Dinobot. The bot was sitting on the floor, half scrapped and he was trying to wield part of his jaw back on. 'Why does he always have ta do shit da hard way,' Rattrap thought seeing that Dinobot hadn't taken off his helm, making it much harder to fix the jaw. "Yo' Chopperface! What da slag happened ta _you_?" Dinobot merely scowled at the rat. "Yeah yeah. Come 'ere I'll help ya wit' dat. You just hold dat Ginsu factory you call a jaw in place an' I'll have it welded back on in a click. Den ya can tell me how ya ended up looking dat." Rattrap took out the familiar welding torch. "Ha. Million an' one uses. Okay lets get dis helmet offa ya," Rattrap said as he began to undo the latches. When Dinobot growled he merely commented, "Yeah yeah. Stow it Bronto-Brain." He undid the last of the latches and removed the helm. After he set aside the helm he saw Dinobot's head and gasped. Scars were crisscrossed over his head, but one stood out, the Predacon symbol. It seemed to have been burned into his head. "Whoa. Where'd ya get dat? Eh never mind lets get yer jaw back on den ya can tell me." It took the better part of an hour to get Dinobot's jaw on right. Dinobot opened and closed his mouth a few times to check it but it seemed to work fine. "So ya gonna answer me or what? What da slag happened to ya?"

Dinobot growled softly to himself for a moment before saying, "I underestimated what the training room can do if you turn off the safeties."

"An' instead of lettin' da' CR chamber take care of it, you decided ta try ta fix it yerself right? What am I sayin'. 'Course I'm right." Rattrap sighed. "So where'd ya get 'does scares Chopperface?" Rattrap was idly examining the welding.

"Hellios Prime."

Rattrap dropped the welder. "What?"

"Maybe you should head back into the CR chamber if your audio-receptors are that damaged. I said Hellios Prime. I was born there, raised there. _That_ is my home world Vermin." Rattrap could hear the pride in Dinobot's voice. "A world started by Predacon prisoners who _survived_ on that desolate world and turned it into a home."

"Yeeeeeeesh. Yer a Hellion... I always said ya was but I didn't tink literally." Dinobot chuckled. Rattrap went on. "I've heard it's a hard...place...to...live..." His words staggered to a halt as he looked over the rest of Dinobot's injurious. He knew those fist shaped dents all to well, and it made him angry. "You liein' sack a' cold slag!" He hauled Dinobot to his feet, and handed the warrior back his helm. "Yer gettin' inta dat slaggin' R chamber."

"I don't need the CR chamber," Dinobot retorted, putting his helm back on. Yet he allowed Rattrap to half drag him along anyway. He felt a familiar prick of shame for lying, but his pride was as dented as his body.

"Yeah yeah, sure, sure," Rattrap said, tugging the reluctant Dinobot along. "So what did ya do ta piss Rhinox off _dat_ badly?" Dinobot froze in his tracks, for a moment he thought about trying to convince Rattrap that Rhinox had nothing to do with it but he shook his head at that idea. "What Chopperface?"

"The last thing I remember hearing was 'Do you realize what you've done.'" Dinobot turned to face Rattrap fully. "What did you tell him Vermin?"

Rattrap sighed. "I told him about...uh...ya know..." Rattrap trailed off. Thinking about what he had told Rhinox. He then realized his grave yet simple omission. "Ohhh shit."

"Vermin..." Dinobot's voice had a knifes edge to it as he saw Rattrap start rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well I t'ink I may have forgotten to let em know who started everyt'in'." He looked up at Dinobot. "Hey I didn't mean ta say anyt'ing. But my mout' started talkin' wit'out may say so..."

"Of _that_ I have no doubt."

"And I t'ink I started more towards da middle..."

"And neglected to tell him that you started it."

"Uhhh... yeah." Dinobot merely shook his head. When they got to the control room it was empty. "Alright ya slag-spoutin'-saurian. In ya get." Rattrap was furious, but not at Dinobot. Dinobot entered and the CR chamber closed. As soon as Rattrap was sure the CR chamber had shut down Dinobot he went looking for Rhinox. Predictably he found the tech head in his room. He banged on the door. "Yo' horn head!"

Rhinox was startled to hear Rattrap knocking, but he figured he knew what the rat wanted. He took out an old device and set it down on his work bench. He then opened the door and Rattrap walked in. "Rattrap..."

Rattrap cut across him like a dagger. "What da slaggin' FUCK were ya t'inkin! I _SAW_ da marks on Chopperface! I know what da dents yer fists leave look like! Especially on ot'er bots! Did it evea' occur ta ya dat _I_ started t'ings wit' Chopperface!"

"What?"

"You heard me! _**I**_ started t'ings wit' da Scale Belly!" Rattrap caught sight of an object on Rhinox's work bench. "...An' you can take dat Memory modifier and cram it up yer exhaust pipe! I'm done runnin'. Bein wit' ol' fossil face got me ta wake up. I've been runnin'. An' frankly I'm done runnin' from my problems." He turned to leave. "Oh an' one more t'ing. If you evea lay a hand on Chopperface like dat again, you'll regret it." He looked over his shoulder and grinned darkly. "Remember what I know about you." And with that he walked out. As he left the room something was nagging at him. But he was tired again from everything so he decided to sleep on it. He opened the door to his room. It was littered with tools, parts and garbage. He made his way to his berth and laid down. As he slept a nightmare of a memory came to him. Vividly he remembered Megatron toying with one of his broken limbs. Inferno had just sucked the Predacon leader off and had left.

"Oh you simple Vermin. I can make all this stop, but you seem as stubborn as Dinobot." The Predacon tyrant chuckled and began to grow hard again, as Rattrap screamed from Megatron twisting the broken limb. "Ahhh Dinobot. Once so loyal. Almost as loyal as Inferno."

The dream shifted to another conversation. Inferno was on his knees in front of Megatron, while Megatron smashed his fist into Rattrap's body. "What would you like me to do my Queen?" Inferno asked.

"Just keep doing what you're doing Inferno, yeeesssss." He leered down at Rattrap. "Did you know Dinobot used to do this to me?" Rattrap's optics went wide. "Oh yeeesss, this and soooo much more..." And Megatron laughed evilly...

Rattrap sat bolt up-right. Now _there_ was something he needed to talk to the raptor about.


	7. The Past It Hurts

Dinobot awoke in the CR chamber, and for a moment briefly wondered why he was there. Then he remembered. Rhinox. Rhinox had beaten the unholy slag out of him while unconscious. The dishonor of such an act rankled his own sense of honor. The Rhino would pay. He smashed the button to open the CR chamber door. When the smoke cleared he saw Rattrap standing there.

Rattrap had been thinking since he'd woken up. At first he'd figured that it was Dinobot's business who he slept with but the idea rankled him something fierce. And that strange feeling seemed to tug at his very spark because of it. He wanted to know... he wanted it clarified. The thought had accrued to him that Megatron may have even been lying, but that was an excuse and he knew it. He wanted to know because for some strange reason it slagging _mattered_ to him.

"Vermin..." Dinobot's voice was as cold as the void itself. "Move. I am going to kill that tech."

"Chopperface, we need to talk _now_," Rattrap said as though he hadn't heard Dinobot.

"Rodent!"

"Chopperface," Rattrap sounded weary. "t'ink dis through. If you kill Rhinox, an' believe me I don't blame yas," Rattrap waved his hands. "but if you kill horn head, Primal will eider have you locked up fer da rest of da Beast Wars, or he'll kick ya out. Oh sure ya could last a while out der. But after a month or so of battles and no way to really repair yerself you'll end up dead anyways." Rattrap looked at Dinobot's expression. "Eh don't worry too much. I tore him up one side an' down de other over dis." He shook his head. "We gotta talk. Some place quite..." Dinobot glared at him still royally pissed off. "_Please_ Chopperface. It's important."

Dinobot looked at Rattrap. 'Whatever this is, it _must_ be important for him to use _that_ word to me,' Dinobot thought. "Very well Vermin. My quarters should suffice."

"Alright. Lead on Fossil Face." Rattrap followed Dinobot to his room.

As soon as the door shut behind Rattrap Dinobot turned to face him. "Now what is so important that you felt it necessary to say _please_," he drew the word out, dripping with sarcasm. "in my presence?"

Rattrap hesitated. He had no idea how to brioche the subject. Dinobot meanwhile sat down and started to clean his sword. "So eh... Look when I was ol' Mega-dunce's punchein' bag I heard a few tings..."

"Oh? Like what?" Dinobot was barely paying attention. He was too busy polishing his sword and imagining thrusting it into Rhinox's spark.

"Liiiiiiiike..." He paused for a moment then blurted the next part of his thought out in a rush. "like da fact dat you and Megs were an item..."

Dinobot's sword dropped to the floor with a clang. "Out," he said softly. "GET OUT! NOW!" he roared.

Rattrap scrambled out of the room and stood outside of the now closed door. He took a deep breath as he came to a conclusion. He then turned around and typed his master override code into the locking panel and the door slid open. "Chopperface..."

"Vermin... I told you to get out!"

Rattrap held up both of his hands in a calm-down gesture. "Chopperface I'm gonna talk at ya... an' I'm gonna say tings I ain't said ta _no_body. Not even Rhino-hide. So just let me talk 'kay?"

Dinobot looked over at Rattrap. He looked scared out of his mind but determined as well. "Very well," he said after a time.

Rattrap wasn't sure about Dinobot's mood at the moment so he snagged a chair, turned it to face Dinobot sitting on the fur covered berth and sat. "I was twelve...walkin home from class. I should've been payin attention but six years of havein someone watch my tail pipe, add to dat I was wonderin what da crew was up ta... I wasn't watchin at all. I bumped inta a bunch of older guys... fourteen...maybe fifteen stellers... An' when I say bumped I mean I walked right inta one a dem. He told me ta watch were I was goin'. I've always been short...always... One guy said dat I needed ta be taught some manners..." Rattrap halted here and grabbed the chair under him with both hands as he started to shake and he stared at his lap. He would go on. He would tell this bot that seemed to mean so much to him for reasons he couldn't explain. He would tell him everything he could remember. "Dey... stared to work me over real bad...dunno how long...Den like I said... one a dem said he had a great idea... I really didn't t'ink it was so great...One minute I was lookin at da ground da next I couldn't see scrap...den day tied me up real good...couldn't move...hurt a lot... den...pain... Primus it hurt so bad..." Tears were now streaming into his lap and he was shaking harder. "When he was done da next guy took his turn... over and over... I could feel it running down my legs..." Dinobot watched as Rattrap grabbed both shoulders as if to hold himself together as he spoke. "...Day laughed...I remember dat... laughed... den I...I..."

Rattrap was trembling so bad Dinobot thought he would shake himself apart. Something rose up within him; a perverse desire to protect the rat. He snatched up the rodent and pulled him into a tight embrace, as though to hold the rat together himself. "Vermin..." His voice was softer then Rattrap ever heard it. Dinobot knew that once this flood gate was open there was no stopping it. As one draws poison from a wound, so too did Rattrap draw out this poison from his mind.

Those strong arms gave him comfort so he plowed on. "I...I..." He forced himself to tell Dinobot the one major thing he had never told even Rhinox. "Primus slag it... I got off!" He was sobbing now but he kept going as Dinobot's embrace became crushing, trying to hold him together. "Day...laughed harder...asked me if I was enjoyin' my self...shook my head...day said...didn't believe... Kept goin'...somehow...set me off again... and...just before da last guy...I..._again_...though I must be sick...enjoyed it... Primus da pain...hurt so bad...went off-line I tink...woke up... no one around... could see again... got my armor back on...went home... told my parents... shrink day said...told em where day could stick der shrink..." Rattrap stopped there. He had done it. The one thing he never thought he'd ever do. "You... must tink I'm sick...gettin' off...while day..."

Dinobot cut across him. "Vermin listen to me. There are certain points within any mech that trigger such things. Certain spots that when touched over and over cause that. It was _not_ because you were enjoying it." Dinobot paused as Rattrap looked down. "Look at me!" Rattrap looked up. There was no pity in his optics, no disgust, just...concern. "I do not think you are sick Rodent." He gave a small grin. "At least not for that." Rattrap gave a watery chuckle.

"Chopperface...I'm sorry horn-head got ta ya... he had no right..._none_... ta do dat. Especially sneakin' up on ya like dat." Rattrap smiled. "Hey dats de only way I can figure he was able ta do dat much damage and not get a scratch on 'em. I tore him a new one fer it."

Dinobot continued to hold Rattrap for a time before he spoke. "Rodent, you wanted to hear about me and Megatron..."

"Ya...ya don't have ta Chopperface."

"Vermin. Do not insult my honor. You have told me things you have never told anyone. Why should I do less?"

"Dammit Dinobutt do ya have to be so slaggin' eloquent?"

Dinobot smiled. "Yes."

Rattrap settled himself down in Dinobot's lap. "Slaggin' Pred."

Dinobot chuckled. "To be clear Vermin, my relationship with Megatron ended years ago. But as his obsession with cloning me has shown, he wants me back. If I know him it's because I defied him." Dinobot took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy for him. He was embarrassed... some might called it ashamed... of his relationship with Megatron. "He found me as a sell sword. One of the best. And he needed the best. He had also done his research... we arranged to meet at my place..."

_ A knock on his door made the warrior grab his sword. His apartment wasn't the nicest on the planet but it sufficed. He opened the door and saw a purple mech standing there. Said mech was actually taller then he was. "Greetings I am Megatron. I was told to meet a mech named Dinobot here."_

_ "I am he. Enter." Dinobot moved to allow Megatron to enter the room. Dinobot sat in one chair and offered the other to Megatron._

_ "If I may ask, the name 'Dinobot'..." Megatron started looking a bit confused. "You _are_ a Predacon?"_

_ Dinobot nodded. "From Hellios Prime, yes. My parents called me that to toughen me up some. It seems to have worked. But my parents eccentrics aside, you wanted to hire me." It was not a question but a statement of fact._

_ Megatron gave a short laugh. "Straight to the point I like that, yeeess." He seemed to be talking more to himself then to the warrior. "Yes I did, I wish you to join me in an endeavor that I am planning to undertake."_

_ "And what endeavor would that be?"_

_ Megatron chuckled slightly. "Tell me Dinobot. You have seen how Predacons are treated here." Dinobot nodded. "The Predacon alliance has done _nothing_ for us since the war. I plan to change that. At the moment I am gathering a crew. More about my immediate plan I cannot say until I know whether or not you will be joining me, no." He lowered his voice and Dinobot had to lean in closer to hear him. "But _this_ I _can_ tell you. Think on this if you will. Cybertron ruled by Predacons. No more curfew for our kind, the arenas re-opened... And out ticket to such a thing, a war where we are not strapped for energon." His voice raised in excitement. "Ohhh yeeees, just imagine it Dinobot, such wondrous combat with us as the victors. Glorious conquest!" Dinobot felt a shiver of arousal as Megatron spoke. His voice was like silk and his honeyed words fired Dinobot's very spark._

_ Dinobot stood up and moved his chair closer to Megatron. "Tell me more..." he growled. He awoke the next morning to see Megatron next to him. The passions of the night before lingering in the room like a heavy fog._

_ "Good morning," Megatron said with a smile. He then let out a chuckle. "Shall I take that as a yes then?" Both bots began to laugh._

_ Time passed and even though Dinobot had his own room on Megatron's ship he had never actually used it for anything more then a place to work on his close quarters combat skills. Megatron's strange habit of talking to himself had never bothered him nor his strange need to say 'yes' or 'no' every so often. It always brought a smile to those normally cynical lips. Megatron had just hired a filer team one was annoying to listen to but seemed to be intrigued with Megatron's plan. His partner however was definitely odd and talked in the third person. "Are you sure about them?"_

_ "My dear Dinobot. Do not underestimate them, no. They may be strange but from their records they are exactly what we need." Megatron caressed Dinobot's face._

_ "Can we afford to pay them?"_

_ "You leave that to me, yes."_

_ Dinobot smiled and kissed his lover. "As always..." Megatron grabbed the warrior's hand firmly nearly breaking it. He knew what the warrior liked. Dinobot let out a low growl of pleasure. _

_ Several years passed before the next stage of Megatron's plan could be executed. _

_ "Dinobot, darling, please come up to the bridge."_

_ Dinobot arrived a few moments later. "What have I told you about calling me that over the PA?" he snarled._

_ Megatron gave a chuckle. "You love it and you know it." Megatron caressed Dinobot's arm, teasingly. Dinobot couldn't help but smile slightly. He couldn't resist him._

_Dinobot was nearly running to his room. He had gotten lucky. He was a week early coming home, and he wanted to surprise Megatron not only with his success but with his early return. And he had to admit to himself he had grown weary of sleeping alone on a cold berth. Dinobot opened the door to see Megatron leaning against the head board of their elaborate bed, pleasuring himself. Dinobot shook his head with a low chuckle. Their bed was huge and easily accommodated both of them. It was topped with a foam like substance that contoured to their bodies and was covered by black sheets. The canopy, which actually was put there so Dinobot could put his sword within easy reach should something come up, was also draped in black. Megatron loved decadence and spared no expense to allow himself such. There was even a hot tub in their room._

_ Megatron looked up at what had let in light and saw Dinobot standing there. "Dinobot. I didn't expect you for another week at least..."_

_ "It was easier to find the scientist then we expected..." He looked idly over at the screen, on it a bot was being tortured. "What the slag are you pleasuring yourself to?"_

_ Megatron quickly turned off the screen, he look highly embarrassed. "I...it's something I found that arouses me...It's not something I'm proud of... but you were gone for six weeks and I was expecting at least another week... It's not something I'd actually _do_ mind you...but..."_

_ Dinobot interrupted him. "We all have guilty pleasures Megatron..."_

_ "Indeed. Like that poetry you read... or that _human_ Shakespeare literature..."_

_ Dinobot nodded. "Just don't bring it into our bed with you."_

_ "Oh no! Primus forbid!" Megatron said in a rush._

_ Dinobot climbed onto the bed and locked his sword onto the canopy. "Now I have something for you and I think you'll enjoy it..."_

_ Several months after that Dinobot was going through Megatron's personal files. 'I swear if I didn't keep these organized he'd never find anything,' he thought to himself. He came across a file labeled 'for me'. "Hummm." Dinobot brought it up. He immediately saw that it was one of Megatron's vides. He went to turn it off but decided to watch, just to see what his lover liked. Less then 10 minuets into it he nearly threw up his lunch. That was no pornographic vide, it was a recording of Megatron! Pleasuring himself while torturing a mech for information. It made him physically ill as he watched the entire thing... after his body voided his lunch he went to find Megatron._

_ "What are you saying Dinobot?" Megatron asked._

_ "I'm saying that it's over between us. I _SAW_ that vide of yours! All of it! I have never seen something so Dishonorable in all my life! And I grew up on Hellios Prime! I still believe in your cause Megatron. But I can no longer stay in your bed..."_

_ Megatron swung his arm and flattened Dinobot against the wall. Dinobot looked up at Megatron. It wasn't the first time he'd been flung against a wall but this was something different. There was no passion in Megaton's optics just anger. Anger which quickly melted into concern. Megatron then moved over to help Dinobot up. "Forgive me Dinobot, but the idea of losing you..." He started to caress Dinobot's face again. _

_ But Dinobot pulled away. "You disgust me." _

_ However Megatron got more violent after that. "What do you mean, he got blown up again? I told you to watch him!" Megatron sent Dinobot to the floor with a punch. He then picked up the warrior and put his arm in a vice like grip. "What? No moans of pleasure?" Megatron smirked as he became aroused. "No passionate proclamations? I thought you liked it rough? But perhaps I'm not being rough enough... easily fixed..."_

_ "How dare you question my orders!" He raised his hand again..._

_ "I told you to handle that! Not him!" Megatron bellowed as he cracked Dinobot over the head._

_ Another time... "Never use the H-word in my presence!"_

_ "What is this mess Dinobot? You were supposed to clean this up!" Megatron aimed his blaster..._

_ "Gah! You are incompetent! One simple task and you can't even do that!" Megatron began to crush his arm..._

_ Dinobot wondered briefly as he emerged from the CR tank again whether or not it was worth it all... no his honor wouldn't allow him to go crawling back to Megatron... especially after he had been forced to watch Megatron torture that mech into telling him where the Golden Disk was located..._

_ "No, no, NO! It all wrong. This can not be earth! Megatron you failed. Not only did you fail to destroy the Maximals when you had the chance, you failed to bring us to the right planet. We stole the Golden Disk for nothing! You idiot!" Dinobot knew he no longer had the position to get away with talking to Megatron like that, he hadn't for years, but he was too pissed to care._

_ "I beg your pardon? What did you call me?"_

_ "You heard. You are an idiot and an incompetent leader and I am taking over. Dinobot Terrorize." Dinobot transformed. "I challenge you to battle Megatron. The winner shall lead the Predacons, and the looser shall be destroyed."_

_ "Ahh impulsive as the day we met Dinobot. Brave but misguided."_

_ "Do you except my challenge?"_

_ Megatron laughed. "There's more to being a leader then simple courage. Well there's cleverness and cunning as well isn't that right... Scorponok?"_

_ Megatron's second in command shot a missile at Dinobot sending him flying..._

"...And you know the rest," Dinobot said. The entire time he had been talking he had seemed to be looking into another time, as though reliving the memories as he spoke them.

"Yeeeeesh," was all Rattrap could manage. After a time of thinking he said, "Wait, a couple a tings don't add up heres."

"What might that be?"

"I really can't imagine Mega-jerk being dat sweet to ya..."

Dinobot cleared his throat, and Rattrap could have sworn he saw embarrassment written on Dinobot's face for a nano-click. "Vermin, he was acting. From the very start. As I said he'd done his research. He knew exactly what to say to me to get me on his side... I'm not sure he was expecting my rather, _enthusiastic_, reaction, but once he found out about my enjoyment of rougher sex..." Dinobot trailed off here. "And the other..."

"Well Orchid told me dat Preds don't put much stake in words..."

"If I had to make a guess she was referring to the flattering words Maximals have a tendency to speak to females Vermin. Much like some of the poetry I happen to prefer."

"How did ya get inta dat anyways?" Rattrap yawned.

"Another time Rodent. We could both use some rest."

"Chopperface?" Rattrap looked up into Dinobot's optics.

Dinobot looked down into Rattrap's own optics and wasn't thrilled with the dead look that was in them. It was a look he had seen many times and what it led to was never good. "Yes Cheese-eater?"

"Can...can I stay here tanight? I'm kinda sick of my own company... an' well I don't wanna be alone."

"A wise move Vermin. Yes you may stay." Rattrap curled up on the bed. "Do you wish me to move?"

Rattrap started to shake again and Dinobot realized that Rattrap was still reeling from recounting his attack. "No..." he whispered.

Dinobot stretched out and laid one arm across Rattrap's body. "Rest Vermin. I shall guard your sleep tonight."

"Tanks Chopperface..." Rattrap said sleepily.


End file.
